


The Hope Diamond: Book Two

by Androgene



Series: The Hope Diamond [2]
Category: Weiß Kreuz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Chaptered, Complete, M/M, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-09-26
Updated: 2002-10-01
Packaged: 2018-09-26 07:18:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 58,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9873146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Androgene/pseuds/Androgene
Summary: A forbidden love grows between an assassin and the cursed Gem. Will they live happily ever after or is their love doomed from the beginning? YohjixAya/Ran.





	1. Kudoh - 12 to 13

**Author's Note:**

> Nope, I’m not dead. Just got swamped with Real Life and procrastination, not to say a huge writer’s block.
> 
> I’m writing this rather lengthy author’s notes because somehow I need to justify the reason for the change in Book Two to anyone who has been reading ‘Hope Diamond’.
> 
> What is the change?
> 
> The POV has been changed. Book Two is not written in first-person voice, from Yohji’s POV. Drastic change, and as a general rule, a big no-no in writing. But I felt it was necessary. The plot has grown more complex and complicated to be entirely told from a single person’s POV, at least for someone of my limited talents. And I hate switching from one first-person POV to another. I feel that if I do that, everyone will start sounding alike. So I’m switching back to the third-person’s perspective, to make the story flow more smoothly and less cumbersome.
> 
> For those who have grown to like Yohji’s POV, my sincerest apologies. I really tried to keep the POV but it just doesn’t pan out. I hope you will keep on reading ‘Hope Diamond’.
> 
> For those who didn’t like Yohji’s POV in the beginning, well, I hope you will give my little fic a try now.
> 
> Speaking of little, I honestly didn’t expect ‘Hope Diamond’ to grow so long and detailed. I knew the general outline of the story, but I didn’t realize the ‘filling in the blanks’ process would make it so epic in terms of scope and details.
> 
> But it’s been fun, writing ‘Hope Diamond’. And all the wonderful reviews just encourage me not to drop the fic. 
> 
> For those who have been rereading Book 1, you will notice some parts of Chapter 9 to 11 have been changed and rewritten, mostly on Aya’s past. 
> 
> Sorry for the rewrite but it was quite necessary for the future development of the story, especially when it comes to delivering more of Aya’s angst.
> 
> I have received several wonderful gift arts from people inspired by my story. Please go have a look. They are simply fabulous.
> 
> So without further ado, here’s Book Two of the ‘Hope Diamond’.
> 
> Disclaimer:  
> All characters belong to their creators. WeiB Kreuz™ is created by Takehito Koyasu and Project WeiB. I don’t own them and I don’t profit from using these characters.

** Kudoh **

The apartment looked more like a pigsty than a living abode for someone. Clothes were strewed all over the place; there was a daunting stack of dirty plates in the sink and the bin was overflowing with empty takeout cartons. Discarded beer cans and cigarette butts littered everywhere. 

But what bothered Birman the most was the aura of grief and desolation that clung to every corner of the apartment. It permeated the walls, the furniture, lingered in the clothes and air, in a heavy oppressive cloud that threatened to either send her running to save her sanity or be drowned in the black quicksand of emotion. It was at times like these that Birman wished that her empathy had an ‘off’ switch. 

_Manx,_ she thought crossly, _you owe me big time for this._

She muttered a spell under her breath, enforcing her own emotional shields with magical ones, before proceeding to find the source of the despairing grief. 

The master bedroom was in an even worse state than the living room. Right in the middle of the mess, sprawled across the huge bed of crumpled sheets, with a cigarette between his lips, was the man Birman had came looking for. 

“Yohji Kudoh?” 

The man showed no indication that he was even aware of her presence. 

She went closer to the bed, lips pressed into a thin line. Having to carefully pick her way through the sea of carelessly thrown clothes and whatnot, and consciously keeping the grief at bay, Birman wasn’t exactly very patient when she finally reached the bed. 

“Wake up,” she said curtly. 

Dull leaf-green eyes slowly drifted open. Despite herself, Birman couldn’t help but wince inwardly at the look of pain and guilt in those eyes as he gazed at her. 

When Yohji finally spoke, it was in a very weary and lifeless voice. “Go away.” 

“I’ve traveled a long way to speak to you, Kudoh. I’m not going to leave without getting what I came for.” 

“Sorry. Can’t help you. Yohji & Asuka PI Agency is closed indefinitely. Go find someone else to bother.” 

“I’m not here to hire a private detective.” 

“Then go away.” 

“Your little run-in with Riot had attracted my boss’s attention,” Birman continued doggedly. “I’ve been sent to recruit you.” 

“Then you’ve wasted a trip.” Yohji turned his gaze to the ceiling. Bitter self-loathing was evident in his voice. “Tell your boss it’s a mistake to recruit a useless asshole like me.” 

Privately, Birman had to agree with him. Nothing she had seen so far about the man seemed to justify why Persia was so anxious to get his hands on. But she was just one of his many assistants and Persia kept his own counsel. All she was told was that Kudoh must be recruited at all costs.

Even drowning in his blackest depression, the distinctive click of a gun being primed caught his attention. Yohji looked back at the woman, disinterestedly staring up at the silver barrel of the gun, uncaring about the fact that it was pointed straight at his head. 

“If you’re going to kill me, spare me the suspense.” 

“Is that what your dead lover wants?” 

The sudden flash of emotion in those otherwise dull empty green eyes was encouraging, to say the least. 

“I have no qualms about killing you,” Birman said casually. “After all, you may be right. My boss does not need a useless asshole. And I’m not the one who has a lover’s death on his conscience. Dying like this, well, it’s a pity she died for nothing.” 

“Shut up,” Yohji grated. Glaring at Birman, he half-rose from his bed, feeling the urge to lash out at someone. “What the hell do you know of my pain?” 

“More than other people.” 

Leaf-green eyes narrowed in realization. “You’re an empath.” 

“Among other things.” 

“What the hell do you want?” 

“Be my dog or die.” 

A long tense silence descended. At that moment, Birman wondered if Yohji would really ask her to kill him. If he were in so much pain that he couldn’t get his life right again, then death would be preferable. 

In the end, Yohji slowly reached up and pushed her gun aside. “Fine, I’ll be your dog. Whatever that’s left of me, anyway.” 

“Good.”

* * *

Nearly four years later, Yohji stood in front of Asuka’s grave and had to marvel at the absence of the grief that crippled him so badly in the past. It was strange, not feeling that pain that twisted at his heart and put a lump in his throat, not feeling the guilt that ate away at his mind, strange to feel hope again. 

He got down to a knee before Asuka’s modest tombstone and placed a huge bouquet of white and tiger lilies before the black marble slab. “Asuka, I’ve come to ask for your blessing. I met this man some months ago and I fell in love with him. He made me feel things I thought I’d never feel again after your death. He made me feel like I’m worth something.” 

Yohji paused and then asked softly, “Are you jealous, Asuka? Somehow I don’t think so. Somehow, I have this feeling you’ll be egging me on to make him mine. But that’s the problem. He’s been claimed already. He can’t love freely, not without fear of punishment to his loved one. We have to meet in secret, like some criminals. I want to free him from his chains, Asuka. Hell, I promise to free him. I just don’t know how.” 

“That’s why I’m here. If you are watching over me, Asuka, please give me your blessing.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the cold marble slab. “Ran…he is my second chance. I don’t think I’ll get a third. I-I want to do right by him, something I have failed to do for you. For that I need all the help I can get.” 

Yohji fell silent. He stayed in that position for a long moment and rose to his feet. He pressed two fingers to his lips and placed the kiss to the tombstone. 

“Ja ne, Asuka. If there’s a chance, I’ll bring him to meet you. I think you’ll like him.” 

________________________________________

**Chapter Twelve**

For a summer day in June, the weather was surprisingly cool. The citizens of Magnopolis took advantage of the unexpected relief to take a break, abandoning work in favor of enjoying the wonderful coolness. Though it was still in the middle of a working day, Southbank Park was more crowded than usual. 

The unusual increase in people loitering in the park made Ran nervous. It was hard for him to maintain his calm façade among strangers, hard for him not to betray the skittishness he felt whenever someone he didn’t know got too close to him. Hell, anyone who obliviously got within six feet of him made him jumpy. In the end, he retreated deeper into the small grove of trees, where Yohji had comforted him on a cold black night so long ago, hoping to find some refuge. 

In the dappled shade of the towering trees, Ran heaved a small sigh of relief. Here, the soothing sound of rustling leaves muffled the noise of the crowd outside, shielding him within a tiny haven of blessed quietness. He leaned back against a trunk and gazed up at the gently swaying branches, finally allowing himself to relax somewhat. 

He hated crowds with a passion but had tolerated them because his position required it. And he wasn’t used to crowds either. No, Ran silently amended, he wasn’t used to crowds where he was just another faceless person. He was used to crowds where he was more or less at the center of attention, the kinds of crowds that automatically put him on his guard, wary and careful not to let his icy mask slip. It was easier to stay alert and watch out for threats in that kind of crowds. 

But this sort of everyday crowd of ordinary people unaware of his disguised presence threatened to lull him into a false sense of security. He disliked that, distrustful of the seductive lure that could leave him vulnerable. It was too easy to fool himself into thinking he was just another anonymous face, able to just disappear into the crowd. The tempting thought warred with survival instincts honed keenly over ten years, resulting in Ran feeling tense and nervous as he waited for his secret date. 

Dating. 

It was another reason why he felt less than calm. 

Even though he had two weeks to get used to the idea, it was still new and exciting to him. Not unheard of but new all the same. Being of the shy quiet type, Ran never really dabbled in dating before That Day. And after That Day, Ran lost all chances of leading a normal life again. 

For ten years, he was used to being treated as a rare and priceless trophy, an object of power and beauty, and to his master, a tool and a toy in bed. At first, he found the knowledge humiliating and degrading. It took him a long time before he gave up his pride and quit fighting to assert his individuality, a long time before he finally resigned himself to his fate. 

Then he met Yohji and his world was rapidly turned upside-down. Yohji was the one person who did not regard him as an object but rather as a person. It honestly caught him off guard, Yohji’s attention. It was also unnerving and stressful. He didn’t know how to deal with the blond’s flirting behavior, had forgotten how to react to his simple overtures of human interaction. Ten years of being alone and not trusting anyone made Ran paranoid and suspicious of anyone who seemed to want to get close to him. 

All his doubts about Yohji’s sincerity vanished on that night in the park however. On the night his life finally got too much for him and he sought the deserted darkness of the park to give in to his pain. When Yohji made the effort to chase him down and comfort him, prevented him from falling apart, Ran finally realized that the blond was concerned for him, genuinely concerned for him – not the Blood Diamond, but Ran. 

Yohji’s attraction to him as a person was so simple and honest a reason that it floored him. 

Ran didn’t understand how could anyone be attracted to him; he didn’t understand why Yohji would want to spend so much time and effort on someone he hardly knew. Yohji’s attraction frightened him; his own reaction scared him even more because he found himself longing for the comfort and assurances Yohji wanted to give. Ran wanted to reach out and accept the warmth Yohji offered; he wanted Yohji to help him to remember what it was like to be human. 

Yohji was the only one brave enough, daring enough, to coax him to live again. 

Ran smiled faintly, remembering the time they spent together over the last two weeks. He had been alive, more importantly, felt human again. He didn’t mind the fact he had to sneak out from Aya’s ward daily to secretly meet Yohji. He knew he was putting his sister’s life in danger but even that knowledge was not enough to stop him. 

He needed to see Yohji, needed the blond’s loving reassuring presence like he needed wild magic to live. He was addicted to Yohji, totally, hopelessly addicted to the blond Techno-Mage who was supposed to be his enemy, so much so that tolerating Takatori’s touch was becoming a torture. Everyday now, he oscillated from giddy happiness in Yohji’s presence to revulsion and fear when he returned to Takatori’s side. It was so difficult to hide his newfound ‘alive-ness’ and joy from his master, yet he must do so to protect Yohji.

It was incredibly stressful to live each day like this, yet he would not end it. 

It was the only thing that gave him hope for the future. 

“Ran?” 

The ageless redhead turned, brightening at the sight of the lanky blond standing some distance away. “Yohji!” 

Yohji chuckled softly as he found himself being hugged tightly by the smaller man. “Ease up, Ran. I need to breath.” Despite his words, the blond folded his arms about Ran’s shirt-clad shoulders and back, holding the redhead close. 

“Sorry,” Ran mumbled against his chest, loosening his grip around Yohji’s waist. 

“Nothing to be sorry about.” Yohji tenderly stroked the crimson silk of Ran’s hair. “The crowd got to you, eh?” 

Ran nodded, a quick movement that brushed the top of his head against Yohji’s chin. “I hate crowds.” He pulled back to gaze up at Yohji’s face, drinking in the sensual handsomeness of his face, the warm affection in the leaf-green eyes. God, the blond was truly something special. And Ran was humbled by the fact that he – a cursed, unclean monstrous being – was the sole recipient of Yohji’s tender loving attention. 

“I miss you,” he said softly. 

“So do I,” Yohji replied, planting a soft kiss on his lips. “Come on. There’s something I want to do with you.” 

“What is it?” 

Yohji placed a finger against his lips, verdant green eyes glittering mysteriously. “You’ll know when we get there.” 

Ran smiled softly at him. If he were free, he would go anywhere Yohji asked him to, just as long as the blond was by his side. “All right.” 

Their secret hideaway was not far from Southbank Park. 

To be more precise, it was one of Yohji’s personal safe houses scattered throughout Magnopolis. Each of them in Weiss has their own safe houses, kept secret from others just in case they needed to disappear and hide without others being able to find them. 

Yohji maintained one near the park, a small apartment rented under an alias from a landlady who never intruded in her tenants’ businesses. He had the safe house for years, even before he joined Weiss, and he was rather fond of it, making it into a proper home where he could just come and crash alone without worrying about being found. Yet he didn’t find it difficult to reveal the location of this safe house. He did tell Ran where the flower shop was, in the hopes he would like to visit someday. But Ran never took him up on that offer, leery of meeting his fellow assassins. 

This safe house became a safe and practical choice, for the two secret lovers who needed privacy to freely express their emotions. It was close to the park and the hospital, giving Ran enough time to sneak back to the hospital and the limousine that came daily to fetch him home. 

In this tiny apartment, they could be alone with each other, away from the scrutinizing world and the troubles outside, no matter how brief their time together might be. 

Ran took off his shoes at the hallway as Yohji shut the door behind them. “So what is it you want to show me?” 

“It’s right this way.” Yohji gently guided the smaller man down the hallway and into the kitchen, right to the counter top where a few unopened packages were sitting. 

Ran stared down at the packages and cans of raw food, still not getting it. “Yohji, what are you trying to show me?” 

“Well,” Yohji reached around from behind him and picked up the box of spaghetti, “we have ate out so often that I figure it’s time we should try making something for ourselves. I went to the supermarket earlier and got the stuff we need to make a really great pasta lunch.” 

“You want to cook?” 

“With you, if that’s all right.” Yohji stepped around to Ran’s side, sensing the sudden apprehension in the redhead. “What’s wrong, Ran?” 

“…” 

“Tell me.” 

“…I can’t cook,” Ran admitted in an embarrassed tone. 

“It’s all right. I can’t cook very well either.” Yohji smiled and pressed a tender kiss to his temple. Ran, when embarrassed, he discovered was really cute, with that pink blush across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. “At the very worst, we just blow up the kitchen.” 

Ran laughed at that flippant reply. “What will the landlady do to you?” 

“Hell if I care,” Yohji shrugged carelessly. “I bought a recipe book, so we should manage just fine. Now lessee, is tomato puree the same thing as tomato paste?” 

Ran sweatdropped. 

Somehow he had a feeling that cooking was going to be a disaster.

* * *

In the end, it didn’t turned out as badly as Ran thought it would, much to his relief. At least they didn’t blow up the kitchen but they did left behind a hell of a mess that he wasn’t looking forward to cleaning up. 

He cautiously poked at the plate of spaghetti with a fork, trying to decide whether it was safe to eat or not. Some parts of the spaghetti were burned (how did Yohji managed to burn the spaghetti?) but on the whole, it looked eatable. He looked up from his contemplation when arms snaked around his waist from behind. 

“Well?” Yohji asked, peering over his shoulder at the fruit of their efforts. “What are you waiting for?” 

“For you to take the first bite.” 

“You’re kidding, right?” 

“No.” Ran gravely twirled a small bit of the spaghetti onto the fork and guided it to Yohji’s mouth. “You forgot I don’t eat.” 

Yohji rolled his eyes but obligingly accepted the bite. “Didn’t stop you from eating out with me.” 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Ran admonished lightly. He turned around to get a better view of Yohji’s expression. “Well? How does it taste?” 

“Not bad for our first try.” 

“Really?” 

Yohji took the fork from him and picked up a bite, lifting it to Ran’s mouth. “Here, you try.” 

Slowly, Ran chewed the small mouthful of spaghetti. One fine red brow lifted, surprised. “It’s quite good.” 

“Told cha.” Yohji carried the plate over to the dining table where two glasses and a bottle of wine were waiting. 

“Shouldn’t we split that into two plates first?” Ran asked, following him to the table. 

“We can share.” Yohji sat down and pulled the redhead into his lap, curling an arm around his waist and hip. With his free hand, he picked up the fork and reached for the spaghetti. “It’s more fun this way, don’t you think?” he grinned. 

Ran just rolled his eyes. “You just enjoy having me on your lap.” 

“Guilty as charged.” 

Yohji gestured briefly to the bottle of wine and muttered briefly under his breath. Ran watched as the bottle of wine lifted itself and deftly poured red wine into the two wine glasses before settling back on the table. 

“Flagrant use of magic,” Ran chided with a smile. 

“Either that or getting up to pour the wine. I happened to be very comfortable where I am.” Yohji lifted the fork to Ran. “Now, open wide.” 

“Hn.” Obligingly, Ran allowed Yohji to feed him before taking the fork for his turn. 

It was so idyllic, so normal, what they were doing. Simple romantic bonding, activities they should be doing openly and without fear of repercussions, not like some furtive criminals. It was brief moments of normality like these that gave Ran strength to go on. For Yohji had a way of easing his fears and worries without saying anything, a certain touch that made him feel less…tainted, less unworthy. 

Made him feel like he, Ran, was genuinely the most precious treasure in Yohji’s world. 

Ran took a sip of the red wine. Cupping Yohji’s chin in one hand, he tilted the blond’s face up and kissed him, nudging the soft lips to open in order to pour the wine into the blond’s mouth. Under his hand, Ran felt the strong throat moved as Yohji swallowed. Next thing he knew, Yohji reached up and grasped his head, slanting their mouths together for a better fit as he changed the contact into a proper kiss. 

Ran loved the way Yohji kissed, how Yohji teased his lips to open wider and the solid warmth of his tongue plundering the warm depths of his mouth, coaxing him to respond and kiss back. Yohji’s kiss drove him wild, scattered whatever thoughts he had, and made his body quiver and his groin ached. His eyes fell shut and he circled his arms around Yohji’s neck, kissing the blond back with all the passion he had in him. He shivered as he felt callused hands slipping under his shirt to firmly explore his chest and back, stroking the ribbed line of his spine up and down. 

They finally broke the kiss. 

Ran’s head fell back as Yohji planted hot kisses down the smooth column of his throat, nipping and licking all his sensitive spots. The redhead moaned aloud as Yohji fastened his teeth in the junction where his neck and shoulder met and bit. The sudden burst of pain/pleasure shot through him like a bolt of lightning, sapped the strength from his limbs, and he melted against the blond, clinging to him for support. 

“Ran…” Yohji grasped his chin, green eyes smoldering with barely restrained desire. “God, how I want you.” 

He kissed the redhead hard again, driven by his overwhelming need and passion. Ran submitted beautifully under his onslaught, so pliant and responsive that he inflamed Yohji further, threatening to dissolve whatever little control he possessed and succumb to the desire to claim this siren creature. 

The realization jolted Yohji out of his lust-induced haze. With a mighty effort, he broke off the kiss and buried his face in Ran’s neck, trying desperately to regain his control. His chest heaved as he panted harshly for each breath but otherwise Yohji was still as he hugged the equally passion-dazed redhead in his lap. 

Ran was a boneless mess of aroused sexual desire and thrumming nerves, the heavy cloud of lust fogging his mind slowly dissipating. His skin remained keenly sensitive to Yohji’s hands under his shirt, the warm rapid breaths against his neck, making him shiver. There was a burning ache in his loins, making his jeans uncomfortably small, and a second hard budge digging into his outer thigh. Somewhere in his daze, he was amazed at how fast things got out of control. 

“Sorry,” Yohji managed to say at last, in a voice rough with suppressed desire. 

Shakily, Ran wrapped his arms around the strong lanky body. “It’s okay.” 

“No, it’s not.” 

Ran didn’t say otherwise. Deep inside, he knew Yohji was right. 

It was torture being this close to each other. His body ached constantly with the desire to just take Yohji to his bed. He wanted Yohji so badly, desired the blond so much. He yearned to feel the blond’s hands on him, stroking him, arousing him with every caress and heated kiss; he wanted Yohji’s mouth on his cock, Yohji’s erection inside him, taking him. It got so bad sometimes he had to fight the urge to simply drag Yohji over to the bed and just do it, and he knew Yohji wouldn’t be able to resist such persuasion. 

Yohji wanted him just as badly. 

But they couldn’t do it. 

Ran was bonded to Takatori. Whatever he did or even thought, Takatori would know in an instant. Oh he had shields, but Ran did not know how effective his shields were. It was difficult enough hiding this relationship from his possessive master. Ran doubted he could hide the uncontrollable flare of feelings and sensations produced during lovemaking from Takatori just as well.

The night of stolen pleasure on Takatori’s island was the only exception. His master had been too drunk and unconscious to sense what he did. But there was no way such an opportunity would ever present itself to them again. They could only settle for touches and kisses, skirting the edge of disaster and temptation, unable to satisfy their needs and desires in the manner they wanted most. 

Yohji finally lifted his head, verdant-green eyes full of turbulent emotions. “It’s not fair.” 

Ran managed a tiny sad smile. “No, it isn’t.” 

Yohji pulled him close for another kiss, this time slow and sweet. “I’m so tempted to just throw caution to the wind and make love to you.”

Ran gasped as the fingers under his shirt found a nipple and toyed with it, sending quivering sparks of pleasure shooting through his body. “But my sister…your friends…Yohji…ohhh…” 

If this continued further, Ran realized they would definitely end up together in bed. With an effort, he clamped a hand on the teasing fingers beneath his shirt. He clumsily extricated himself from Yohji’s embrace, moving on shaky legs to lean against the counter. Behind him, Yohji slumped in his chair, fighting the urge to drag Ran back to him and ravish him thoroughly. 

Labored breathings filled the kitchen for a long while as both men fought to calm their arousals. 

Ran bowed his head, eyes closing to shut out the sight of the white countertop. Times like these, he wanted to scream and take his frustration out on the nearest object. Always, Takatori’s hold on him hung like a shadow over them. He hated it, hated this sorry state of affair they were in because of him. 

Yohji didn’t deserve this – 

Violet eyes flew open involuntarily as arms hugged him again from behind. 

“I’m sorry. It’s just that -” Yohji tightened his embrace around the smaller man and confessed, “The thought of not having you, the thought of you having to return to his side every time we part…it hurts. I want you to be free; I want you to be mine.” 

Yohji laughed bitterly. “Listen to me, I’m so greedy that I don’t know what I want anymore.” 

Ran twisted around in his arms. “You’re not being greedy.” He gently touched his cheek. “I don’t want to return to him anymore than you want me to. I don’t like being in his presence.” 

“Ran…” Yohji molded the slim form of his love to his body; hugging Ran so tightly that he was sure the smaller man could not breathe. Ran simply embraced him back, needing the physical contact as much as he did. There, they remained for a long time, clinging to each other, trying to make the moment last for as long as possible. But no matter how much they tried, time still flowed on. 

“It’s almost four,” Yohji broke the serenity reluctantly. 

Ran sighed. Their afternoon together was almost over. 

“Tomorrow? Same time?” 

Ran tensed, burying his face in the crook of Yohji’s neck. “I can’t. I have to do an…errand for Takatori.” 

Involuntarily, Yohji tightened his hold on the smaller man. “He’s not going to make you kill for him again, is he?” 

“It’ll be all right, Yohji.” Ran tried to reassure the blond but his words sounded hollow even to him. 

“When can I see you again?” 

“Probably two days later.” He kissed Yohji’s cheek. 

Yohji turned his head quickly and caught Ran’s mouth in a hard passionate kiss. “I’ll be here waiting for you.” 

“I’ll come back,” Ran promised. Reluctantly, he pulled away from their embrace. “See you soon, Gorgeous.” 

“You too, Beautiful.” 

With a whisper of magic, Ran took a step sideways and vanished from the kitchen, leaving Yohji all alone in the apartment. His appetite gone, Yohji snagged the bottle of wine from the table and went into the living room. He leaned against the window, staring blankly at the people on the streets below, as he took a long dreg of the wine. 

In all his years, Yohji never thought he would find himself in the position of a star-crossed lover. It was almost laughable, except it hurt like hell. Even the pain and guilt over Asuka’s death paled in comparison to what they were going through now. And yet given a choice, Yohji wouldn’t want it any other way, not if it meant he never get to meet Ran.

_I’ll make you happy, Ran. I’ll free you. I promise._

* * *

It was a slow afternoon at the Koneko no Sumu Ie, a rarity given the flower shop’s popularity with teenaged girls. It certainly gave both Ken Hidaka and Omi Tsukiyono lots of free time - time in which the former spent fidgeting at the workbench, trying to keep from pacing about in the shop. 

“Will you stop drumming your fingers, Ken-kun?” Omi sighed. “The sound is driving me crazy.” 

With a start, Ken guiltily snatched his hand from the worktable. “Gomen.” 

“So what got into you?” Omi asked patiently. “You’ve been on the edge for the last couple of days.” 

“Nothing.” 

“Ken-kun.” 

Ken gulped at Omi’s long drawn-out tone of suffering and exasperation. When Omi’s patience is nearing his limit, it usually meant grilling time. 

“Well?” Omi tapped a foot against the floor. 

“It’s Yohji,” Ken confessed. 

“Ah. He has been behaving rather strangely for last two weeks.” 

“Ever since we came back from Takatori’s island,” Ken frowned at the worktable. 

“Well, he could be out having his daily fling.” Omi said. “You know him.” 

“He doesn’t go out anymore in the night.” 

“How do you know that?” 

Ken rolled his eyes. “I’m the first to wake up in the morning. When I go down the hallway to the bathroom, I can usually smell the cigarette smoke and booze he brought back with him in the middle of the night. I don’t smell that anymore.” 

“So maybe he quit his night life?” 

“Yohji? Our resident playboy?” 

Omi had to chuckle. “True. So do you think he’s seeing someone?” 

Ken looked troubled. “If he is, I hope he knows what he is doing. People like us…we have to be careful with whom we interact with.” 

“Ken-kun.” 

“It’s just a thought, Omi.” Ken replied defensively. “You know what they told us when we first joined Weiss. We can’t have relationships with anyone outside the group. For our own safety.” 

“I’m sure Yohji knows what he’s knowing.” 

“Does he?” Ken muttered under his breath. 

“Pardon?” 

“Never mind. I’m just being paranoid.” Ken got up and stepped outside the shop to avoid Omi’s questioning eyes. 

Omi was right. Despite his lazy, incorrigible and devil-may-care attitude, Yohji was a responsible and disciplined man. He had to be, in order to be a Class-A Techno-Mage. He knew better than to put the group at risk. But sometimes, like now, Ken had to wonder. There was something else Ken hadn’t told Omi, something he wasn’t sure he should tell because it was really just a suspicion on his part. These days, when Yohji returned from wherever he went to, he brought back with him a scent that made Ken uneasy. The scent was faint, almost undetectable under the layers of soap and cologne. He missed it the first few times before finally detecting it. It was a vaguely familiar scent, one that nagged at Ken’s memory. Try as he might, he couldn’t remember where he had smelled that scent before and it bothered him. 

“You look like you could use a smoke.” 

Ken looked up. 

Yohji stood before him, wearing a green short-sleeved shirt and black jeans. A thin line of smoke curled from the cigarette between his lips and his eyes were hidden behind his ever-present shades. 

“I don’t smoke. Damn thing irritates my nose.” Ken stood up and took a sniff. There, the elusive scent again, under the nearly overpowering smell of – “Have you been out drinking?” 

“It’s just a bottle, nothing more.” Yohji smirked lazily and entered the shop. “Relax, I’m not even tipsy yet.” 

“Yohji-kun, no smoking in the shop.” Ken heard Omi calling out from inside. 

“Gomen, gomen. I’ll put it out.” 

“Mou,” Omi shook his head. “You are incorrigible.” 

“But that’s part of my charm, Omittchi.” Yohji flashed his most rakish grin at the kid. His ‘cool’ moment was ruined as he yelped and rubbed the back of his head. He turned and glared at Ken who had smacked him from behind. “What was that about?” 

Ken simply gave him an evil smirk. “Help us close shop, flirt.” 

“Hai, hai.” 

Ken watched him covertly for the next couple of minutes. Yohji had been his usual flirtatious self except to Ken it seemed forced somehow. There had been a shadow in those green eyes when he glared at Ken, one that wasn’t there before and Ken was hard pressed to pinpoint when it had appeared. He didn’t think Omi noticed the change in Yohji though. 

Ken was no fool. Despite Yohji’s best efforts, he knew what Yohji had done. Both him and Omi were easily flustered by Yohji’s flirting ways and it was an effective way to keep their attention diverted from what really bother him. If it weren’t for his keen sense of smell, Ken would have never noticed the change that came over Yohji. 

Yohji went to the entrance and was about to flip the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’ when a slender female hand reached for the door handle. “Well, isn’t it our last customer for the day.” He remarked as he pulled open the door for Manx. “Welcome.” 

“Manx-san,” Omi greeted with a smile. “How are you?” 

“Doing quite well, thank you.” The redhead lady smiled at them. “Close the shop, boys. I’ll be waiting downstairs.” 

“What’s the mission this time?” Ken asked as they seated themselves around the mission table in the basement minutes later. 

“Have you read the papers lately?” Manx distributed the mission files. “About the bodies the police fished out of Atropos River?” 

“Seven of them, right? Over the last two weeks.” Ken flipped through his file. “All prostitutes. All bearing marks of being tortured and brutally murdered.” 

“Were any bodies found in the other two rivers?” Omi questioned. 

“No. Only one of the Three Sisters was used as the dumping ground.” Manx popped the videotape into the VCR. “Now pay attention, boys.” 

They listened to the briefing and instructions on the videotape. 

It was a pretty straightforward case, Ken mused. Prostitutes have been turning up dead and investigations traced all of them back to ‘missing person’ cases. Further investigations linked them to an underground exclusive prostituting racket named Riot. From the corner of his eyes, Ken saw Yohji tensing at the sound of that name. He watched with covert interest as Yohji leaned forward ever so minutely in his chair, paying a great deal more attention to the video briefing than he ever did before. Ken wondered if Yohji had run-ins with Riot in his past. 

It was quite possible. 

Ken didn’t know what Yohji did for a living before he joined Weiss. The unspoken rule when they joined Weiss was not to inquire too deeply into each other’s past. It was respectful and unnecessary, simply because all of them were legally dead and what they were no longer matter. But living together under the same roof with Yohji hinted at a streetwise and possibly shady past. 

“Sounds simple. Just go in and eliminate those three targets,” Omi’s observation pulled Ken from his contemplation. He paused thoughtfully for a moment and said, “What’s the catch?” 

“They are rather difficult to track,” Manx admitted. “The manager is the easy one since he runs the day-to-day operations at Riot. But the boss and his secretary-wife, on the other hand, travel a lot. We don’t know where they live and it proved difficult to keep track of their movements.” 

“But they have to visit Riot frequently to supervise the business,” Ken pointed out. 

“And the only way to know when they would visit if we have a copy of their schedule. Unfortunately only the manager has their schedule. One of you would have to go undercover to steal it.” 

“I’ll go.” 

Everyone turned to stare at Yohji. The blond almost never volunteered for undercover assignment before, unless it was by order, claiming that it was too much work. This was certainly out of character for him. 

“Yohji-kun…” Omi began hesitatingly. “Are you sure?” 

“Really, Omi,” Yohji drawled, “do you want to lose your virginity to a couple of strange women?” 

“Yohji-kun!” Omi turned bright red. “But…there’s always Ken.” 

“Oi!” 

“I think our Kenken would nosebleed and faint before he could even get started,” Yohji smirked at the brunette. “And I don’t mean the mission.” 

Ken spluttered, trying to find some clever retort, but was too flustered to think of any. It was awful, the way Yohji teased them, really embarrassing too. But the blond was right. Out of the three of them, he was the only suitable candidate. 

“So it’s settled then,” Manx said after he fell silent. She handed a second file to Yohji. “This is your cover, Balinese. You are due to go in tomorrow night, so study it thoroughly.” 

“Got it.” 

“Good luck, boys.”

________________________________________

**Chapter Thirteen**

Yohji cracked open one eye, peering cautiously around the luxurious suite he was given for the night. He couldn’t help but smirk at the two nude and voluptuous women sprawled across the bed and him sleeping soundly. Guess he hadn’t lost his touch but still, to be on the safe side… 

“Sleep, I urge you, deep and sound,” he deftly wove the spell and cast it. “Do not wake till the sun rise.” 

Only then did he crawl from the huge bed. With practiced ease, he got dressed and winked at his mustached reflection in the mirror. It was time to get to work. With his Discman in hand, Yohji went out for a stroll in the main recreational area of Riot. 

The insides of Riot haven’t changed much in the last four years, he mused. The prostitution ring still catered only to the extremely wealthy who were willing to pay outrageous fees for their own perverse and sometimes deadly kinks. And it showed in the opulent décor and decadent and sometimes ‘extreme’ services. 

Neither could Yohji help but compare his current mission to the last time he was here. 

He had been so naïve four years ago, he and Asuka, naïve and too arrogant. They had known of Riot’s reputation; they should have known better than to tackle the case. A couple of private investigators, even if one of them was a Class A Techno-Mage, stood little chance of winning against a well-established and very deadly organization. But they were young and gung-ho, overconfident that their maverick and resourceful ways would get them out safely with the girl and completely blind to their own weaknesses. 

One of which was neither of them had ever seen a dead body before. No matter how mentally prepared they thought they were, it was still a shock to find the girl dead in her own pool of blood. 

That had proved to be their undoing. For they were unable to keep a cool head after that and they made blunders they normally wouldn’t, bringing the entire security force down on them. In the end, Asuka sacrificed herself to save a wounded Yohji. And her death opened a new and darker chapter of his life. 

Wiser and more experienced four years later, Yohji had vowed never to fight a ‘monster’ without giving it the proper respect. Even though infiltrating Riot now was made easier, thanks to Kritiker’s sophisticated resources, and he was more well-equipped to deal with trouble, Yohji was determined not to repeat the same mistake. 

He gradually meandered over to a staff entrance in the far corner of the recreational area as calmly and discreetly as he could, his eyes constantly on the lookout. When he was sure no one was looking, he slipped through the door quick as lightning. Yohji swiftly discarded his glamour disguise and terry robe, revealing the black skintight cat suit he wore beneath. He pulled on his gloves and watch, and slipped the Discman into a carrier on his belt. Behind the dark surface of his shades, experienced cool green eyes studied the long empty corridor intently. He noted the positions of the security cameras and magic wards, and accordingly made his way down the corridor without giving his presence away. 

It was easy – the stealth skill learned during his training and honed over countless missions. If only he had it four years ago... 

Yohji pushed the thought away. He could not afford to be distracted now. 

The staff area was quiet but not unpopulated as he searched the premises for the secretary’s office, careful to avoid any unsuspecting staff heading his way. 

He paused before he turned another corner, his ears picking up the sounds of approaching footsteps. Quickly and soundlessly, he darted into the nearest unlocked room and watched intently through a tiny crack in the door as two men in waiter uniform approached his hiding place. Yohji couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief when they passed him by. Shutting the door quietly, he turned to search the room he was in and froze. 

Hanging from shackles in the center of the room was a young black-haired woman, dressed in a long purple tattered spaghetti-strapped dress. Dark eyes stared pleadingly at him from above the gag in her mouth. 

Oh shit.

Yohji paled when she struggled desperately in her bonds, making muffled sounds behind her gag. “Shh, shh,” he gestured hastily to her and hurried to free her. Damn it, talk about bad timing. He did not need this now. 

“Kuso,” was the first thing she said when he finally removed her gag. 

“Are you one of the women here?” 

“Yeah. I tried to run away from this place but the police caught me when I left the building.” 

“The police?” 

The girl nodded. “The police in this district have all been bought over by Riot.” 

“And they sent you back here.” 

“Yeah. To be given a thrashing I don’t deserve.” She gave him an asserting look. “You look like a thief, mister.” 

“…Something like that,” Yohji rose to his feet. Much as he liked to help the girl, the mission was more important. “Well, I’ll leave you now. Ja ne.” 

“Wait!” The girl grabbed his arm and hung on with a death grip. 

“Wha-?” Yohji winced as she nearly pulled his arm out of its socket. Damn, but the girl was strong. 

“Take me with you,” she begged. 

“What?!” 

“Please, take me with you. I can’t stand being in here for another moment.” Her begging expression turned threatening. “If you don’t, I’ll scream.” 

Yohji gaped at her. 

True to her words, the girl took a deep breath and opened her mouth. Before the scream could fully leave her throat, Yohji frantically slapped a hand over her mouth. “Are you nuts?!” he hissed at her. 

Behind his hand, the girl grinned at him, laugh lines around her eyes crinkling in response. 

Yohji sighed, bowing his head in defeat. He so did not need this. “All right, you can come with me.” 

“So what can I help you to steal?” the girl asked brightly when he removed his hand. 

“Do you know where is the manager’s office?” 

“Yeah.” The girl rose to her feet. “I can take you to it.” 

“Right.” Yohji pulled her back before she could take another step. “When we go through that door, you do exactly as I say. Stay behind me and do not do anything on the spur of moment. Got that, girl?” 

“Yes, sir. And my name is Maki. What’s yours?” 

“You can just call me mister.” 

“Mou,” she pouted. 

Yohji gestured for her to be quiet and led the way to the door, listening carefully for telltale sounds. He was about to slip out of the room when his keen ears picked up the nearly undetectable sounds of footsteps. Just quickly, he ducked back into the room and closed the door till only a crack was left. 

The footsteps came closer and closer. 

Yohji frowned as he strained to listen closely. There was something familiar about that tread… 

Someone stepped into his line of vision and even though his heart sank at the sight of the man, a part of him was not surprised. What were the chances that he would infiltrate the same place he was in? The Fates have a sick sense of humor. 

Despite the grimness of the situation, Yohji could not take his eyes off Ran. Every time they met in secret in the park, Ran wore his human disguise and the redhead refused to take it off when they were together, saying he felt more natural and at ease passing off as his former human self. Yohji had so seldom seen Ran’s true appearance that he nearly forgot how overwhelming he could be.

The redhead was dressed in an expensive tailored black suit, black gloves and a black mask that covered the upper half of his face. He was in his full Gem glory, the vivid red of his hair shining like ruby under the light and his pale skin aglow like moonstone. So cold and beautiful, it made Yohji’s heart ached. 

Beside him, he heard Maki gasp in wonder. He couldn’t fault her for the small sound of exclamation. Everyone who ever met Ran had that kind of reaction. He was just too breathtakingly magnificent. No matter how many times Yohji saw him, he would also react in the same way and he doubted it would ever stop.

This time, his wonder was shadowed by dread. 

Ran was in Riot, doing an errand for Takatori. What kind? He didn’t know. He just prayed they wouldn’t run into each other. Yohji waited tersely as Ran stood in his line of vision for a long moment. He knew the redhead well enough to read the wary suspicion in his body language. 

Ran sensed something amiss. 

Don’t turn around, Yohji prayed earnestly. Onegai, don’t turn around. I don’t want to fight you. 

After what it seemed to be an eternity, Ran finally continued on his way. 

Yohji relaxed, eyes closing in relief. God, that was way too close for comfort. Gathering himself again, Yohji gestured for Maki to follow him as he stepped out of the room. Now, more than ever, he wanted nothing more than just to obtain the schedule and get the hell out of this place.   
“Was that the Blood Diamond?” Maki asked eagerly as they skunked down the corridor. 

Yohji nodded distractedly, his attention centered on his surroundings. 

She sighed, “Wow, he’s gorgeous.”

Yohji frowned at her, feeling a tiny stirring of jealousy at her frank admiring tone. He had to look away before he could suppress the irrational feeling. Maki didn’t mean anything by her comments. And now was hardly the time to be distracted by personal feelings. 

True to her words, Maki led him to the manager’s office. While she admired the pieces of valuable sculptures in the office, Yohji quickly hooked up his Discman to the office’s computer and got to work. 

* * *

“How long has he been here?” The manager of Riot asked his underling as he walked briskly to the VIP guest room. 

“About half hour,” replied the poor nervous underling. “He took a walk around the premises before asking for you, sir.” 

“Damn,” the manager cursed under his breath. 

A visit from Riot’s sponsor could either meant very good thing or very bad, and considering what Riot had been doing for the last two weeks, he was sure it was the latter. Straightening his tie and taking a deep breath, the manager entered the VIP guest room where his dreaded guest was waiting. 

“Welcome to Riot, Mr. Blood Diamond.” He bowed formally to the slender form looking out of the window, with his back to the door. He winced at the silly form of address but then again, no one really knew how to address a Gem. 

The manager watched with trepidation as the unearthly creature gracefully crossed the room and took a seat in the leather armchair. He couldn’t see the Gem’s expression hidden behind the black mask but he was keenly aware of the vivid amethyst brilliance of those cold inscrutable eyes. 

A soft white glow surrounded the Gem and when it faded, the manager felt the blood drained from his face. Where the vivid amethyst pupils should be were pure shining white. Nailed to the spot by that opaque gaze that somehow managed to still see, the manager stared helplessly back at the Gem. 

“Where are Minase and his secretary?” the Blood Diamond spoke, not in the double-timbered voice he was rumored to possess but rather the deep grizzled voice of Reiji Takatori. 

“They are not here, Takatori-san.” The manager replied politely, sketching a quick formal bow. “But they are due to arrive tomorrow morning. Is there anything I can do for you, sir?” 

From an inner jacket pocket, the Blood Diamond took out a bundle of newspaper clippings and tossed it onto the coffee table. The manager gulped when he caught a glimpse of the headlines. They were all on the prostitute-slayings. 

“You put Riot in a dangerous position,” Takatori spoke through his Gem. 

“Sir, we cater to our client’s amusement. We can’t refuse their requests if they want to chop up some sluts.” 

The manager cried out as a spear of white light arched from the Blood Diamond’s gloved hand and stabbed through his shoulder, bringing him down to his knees in agony. 

“You missed the point, fool. You bring unwanted attention to Riot by carelessly dumping the bodies.” The Blood Diamond steepled his fingers, or rather Takatori did in his own home and the action was reflected in the Blood Diamond. 

“Riot has a long-standing rule about deposing bodies. We burn them and scatter the ashes into the river. We do not dump them into the river for the whole world to find. You may slip one body past everyone’s attention but not seven, even if they were prostitutes. Riot is able to succeed because we are hidden in the darkness. Our clientele includes some of the most prominent and influential people around the world who came to us because we can keep their secrets. Drawing attention to Riot is very unhealthy. The careless dumping have drawn the media’s attention and my sources tell me that even Kritiker’s vigilante group is looking into it.” 

“I will look into the problem at once, sir.” The manager said. 

“You will do nothing of such.” A gloved hand stretched up to stroke a pale marble-smooth cheek possessively. “My Gem will clean up the mess.” 

“Hai, Takatori-san.” The manager bowed his head in obedience. 

Even when the Blood Diamond was surrounded in white light again, signaling the end of the conversation, the manager did not dare to look up. He winced inwardly when his cell phone rang suddenly, disrupting the terse silence with its loudness. Hastily, he pulled it out of his pocket and answered the call. 

“This has better be good,” he growled into the phone even as his gaze drifted warily to the Blood Diamond who was his normal cold aloof self again. 

“Intruders? Two of them?” The Blood Diamond cocked his head in interest, hearing the added tension in the manager’s voice. “Find them before they leave the building. Use whatever means necessary. I don’t care if you kill them.” 

The manager listened for a moment. 

“Guns or magic, I don’t give a damn. Just stop them.” He cut off the line. Tucking the cell phone back into his pocket, he turned towards the Blood Diamond. “This doesn’t happen very often,” he said in a subservient tone. “Please tell Takatori-sama that he has nothing to worry about. We have everything under control.” 

The Blood Diamond eyed him, amethyst gaze cold and harsh. The manager quelled beneath the weight of that icy glare burning with power. He couldn’t help but take a step backward as the Blood Diamond walked past him towards the window. 

The window suddenly shattered into a million pieces and a strong wind began to blow into the room. Without a backward glance, the Blood Diamond leapt out of the window and disappeared into the night.

* * *

“Whoa-ho!” Maki let out an exuberant shriek as Yohji’s powerful Seven roared out of the Riot’s parking lots and into the streets. “We’re free!” 

“That was easy.” Yohji smirked, allowing the exhilarating sense of victory to go to his head for the moment. 

“Of course. They never have to contend with a Techno-Mage before,” Maki laughed. 

“You weren’t too bad yourself.” 

“Huh?” 

Yohji made a chopping gesture. “Fighting.” 

“Thank you!” 

The sudden roar of motorcycles caught Yohji’s attention. He glanced in the rearview mirror and his mood turned grim. Two motorbikes were chasing after them. They were not out of the woods just yet. 

Yohji made a sharp left turn. His powerful Seven knocked one of the bikes off the road and caused it to crash into a lamppost as it plunged into an alley. 

“Close your eyes!” he yelled to Maki even as he pushed his shades further up on his nose. “Fulsi!” 

A burst of light lit up the alley, taking his pursuer off-guard. Behind Seven, Yohji heard the motorbike crashing into the wall. 

“Yeah!” Maki whooped. 

Seven sped through the alley and onto another road, narrowly avoiding the black car boring towards it. Yohji managed to save themselves from being broad-sided by swerving sharply onto a different lane – right into another oncoming black car. He swerved again just as the people in that car opened fire at them with a machine gun. 

“ _Contega!_ ”

The minute the first bullet hit his shield, Yohji knew instantly it would fail. Their pursuers were not using ordinary bullets but rather the shield-piercing type. They went through his shield as though it was never there and struck the hood and windscreen of the Seven. A sudden burst of fiery pain in his side nearly made him crash his car. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Yohji gripped his side and fought to keep the car on the road. 

“Mister…” Maki paled when she saw the blood spilling through his fingers. 

Trying to drive was becoming too much of a chore. In the end, Yohji lost control of his beloved Seven and crashed it into a nearby shop window. He slumped over the steering wheel, fighting to stay conscious. 

“Come on,” Maki urged as she pulled him out of the wrecked car. “We got to go now!” 

“The subways…” Yohji gasped as they staggered along as fast as he could manage. “We can hide in the subway tunnels.” 

“And the lines around here have been abandoned for some time,” Maki caught on quickly. “Good idea.” 

As they staggered on, Yohji couldn’t help but felt a sense of deja vu. In his mind’s eyes, he kept seeing those last few moments before Asuka died. 

They had been fleeing as well, their speed seriously hampered by his wound. He was bleeding to death even as they struggled to move on. Asuka’s whispered encouragement, her worried and fearful countenance spurred him on to make the effort until finally, his strength depleted, he could no longer continue. And Asuka did the most selfless thing he had ever seen, buying him enough time to hide and escape but shattering his heart at the same time. 

Now, it was Maki who was helping him, wounded and bleeding, to escape. So eerily similar to that moment four years ago. 

He prayed he wouldn’t get Maki killed either.


	2. Kudoh - 14 to 16

**Chapter Fourteen**

Yohji awoke with a jerk, eyes wide and gasping. 

It was the same dream again; the dream he thought had gone away but came back with a vengeance during the undercover mission on Takatori’s island. 

“You all right?” 

Yohji blinked owlishly at Maki’s concerned face. Then he took in their surrounding. From what he could see, they were in a dark and abandoned part of the subway tunnels. Belatedly he remembered managing to make it to this point before passing out from blood loss. 

Blood loss… 

He pulled up the hem of his shirt and stared at the strips of purple cloth wrapped around his middle and tied off neatly. “You used your dress,” was the first thing he said. 

“It was only thing handy around here,” she replied, settling against the pillar he was braced up against. 

“Not bad.” 

“Can’t you heal yourself?” 

“I lost too much blood,” Yohji winced as he shifted position. “Healing uses the Techno-Mage’s energy. The more serious the wound, the more energy it takes. And the more seriously wounded the Techno-Mage is, the less energy he has for healing.” 

“So if you attempt to heal this, you might make it worse instead,” Maki said thoughtfully. 

“Right. You know, you should have been a nurse.” 

Maki laughed. “Hell no. I didn’t even go to high school.” 

“So you’re a bad girl?” 

“I guess so,” Maki shrugged. “I got into more trouble as I grew up. Then came along Riot. I thought I would be living the high life, spoilt and pampered. But it all turned out to be a lie.” 

“That’s why you tried to run away?” 

“Yep,” Maki curled up her legs and raised her chin on her knees. “What about you, mister?” 

“Yohji.” 

Maki blinked and then smiled. “That’s your name? Thanks for telling me.” 

“Hey, you helped me after all.” 

“After you got me out of that place. So what about you, Yohji? What’s a cool Techno-Mage like you working as a PI?” 

If Yohji had the strength, he would have laugh. So he settled for a chuckle instead. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“Nothing.” At least nothing she would understand. 

If Maki had asked that question four years ago, he wouldn’t have found it funny. Now though, being asked that question when his profession was so much darker and deadlier, he couldn’t help but find it ironic. 

“Fine, be that way.” Maki yawned. “Strange…I feel sleepy all of a sudden.” 

Yohji’s green gaze sharpened. He had felt the barest stirring of magic too late. Despite the pain screaming through his body, he broke Maki’s slow fall to the ground as she slid into an unnatural sleep. Awkwardly he kept her protectively close, ready to put up a fight with their pursuers. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a shadow moving within the shadows of the tunnel. “Whoever you are, show yourself.” 

The shadow hesitated. 

“Yohji?” came the unsure voice. 

The blond blinked. “Ran?” 

As though saying his name was permission enough, Ran was out of the darkness and by his side in a flash. He had removed his mask; in the darkness of the subway tunnel, his jeweled eyes shone brilliantly with power and worry. 

“Are you all right?” Ran asked anxiously. “What were you doing in Riot?” 

“Working,” Yohji answered dryly. 

Gloved slender fingers lightly explored Yohji’s lean lanky torso, pausing over the makeshift binding. “You’re hurt!” 

“It’s just a graze, nothing more.” 

“We should get you out of here as fast as possible,” Ran decided. 

“I wish we could,” Yohji forestalled him. “But I’m still feeling lightheaded. I don’t think I can walk another step without toppling over. How do you find us?” 

Ran looked uncertain. “I don’t really know? A nagging feeling told me to check this area. So I came.” 

“Were you followed?” 

Ran shook his head. “I covered my tracks.” 

“And what were you doing in Riot?” 

“Takatori is the secret sponsor of Riot. He uses the organization to gather blackmail stuff on people in powerful positions.” 

“And the prostitute-slaying threatens to bring the whole operation into light,” Yohji put two and two together. “So he sends you to do damage control.” 

Ran nodded. “Who’s the girl?” 

“She’s a prostitute in Riot who tried to escape once. I simply did her a favor by getting her out. You put a sleep spell on her.” 

“I didn’t want her to know about us.” He looked around at their hiding place. “Riot’s entire security force is out looking for you. It’s really not safe here, Yohji. Sooner or later, they will find this place.” 

“You should go then.” Ran started to object but Yohji placed a finger on his lips, stilling his protests. “If they find us together, the game is up for everyone.” 

“But I want to help you. If they find you, they’ll kill you!” 

“I’ll be fine. I’ll get out of this alive. But if Takatori ever finds out about your indiscretion – I don’t want him to hurt you again.” 

“Yohji…” 

The blond reached up and caressed a smooth cheek with his thumb. “I’ll see you back at the apartment, love.” 

Jeweled purple eyes gazed at him for a long moment. Then Ran lowered his head and kissed him softly. “I’m expecting to see you there, Yohji. Don’t disappoint me.” 

“I won’t.” 

Giving Yohji’s hand one last squeeze, Ran rose back to his feet and vanished back into the darkness. “Maybe I can divert them away from this place,” his voice drifted back to Yohji. “Buy you some time to get your strength back. At least that much I can do.” 

Yohji smiled fondly. “Maybe you can do that.”

* * *

It was morning when the both of them finally emerged from the subway tunnels to make a bid for freedom. 

From where he was, concealed behind his human disguise and an added spell of invisibility, Ran watched in helpless worry as they slowly, painfully made their way across the streets and through the buildings. He wanted badly to help them. That was his lover in danger, damn it! 

But he kept hearing Yohji’s sensible advice in his head. To help him now would be the worst time to be noticed together. News always has a way of traveling back to Takatori. All he could do was to discreetly keep watch over them through the night, discouraging Riot’s men from going near them with subtle spells. He hated it though. He hated not being able to do anything for the man he loved; he hated the chains that tied his hands. 

His heart leapt into his throat when he heard the faint shouts. Shit, they have been discovered. Down below, he could see the girl looked up in alarm and hastily tried to get Yohji to walk faster. Unconsciously, he shifted from foot to foot in agitation. Even from this distance, he could see Yohji faltering with every step. 

Fuck sensibility! He was not going to sit around and watch! His lover was not going to make it if something was not done soon. 

Ran wrapped the invisibility spell tighter around himself and took off across the building tops, easily traversing the gaps between buildings. 

He was not going to lose Yohji. 

He was not going to let That Day repeat itself. 

Never. 

Even as he hastened towards them, he saw the girl giving Yohji a peck on the cheek before running away. Anger filled him as he thought she was leaving Yohji behind to save herself. Then just as quickly the anger melted away when he saw she was running towards Riot’s men. The girl was trying to lure the danger away from Yohji. It didn’t make him feel very good but he was relieved that the girl had given Yohji a chance for escape. 

Yohji must have come to the same realization because he scrambled, fell and finally crawled after the girl, screaming for her to come back. 

God, Ran abruptly realized, was the same nightmare repeating itself for Yohji? Helplessly watching someone die to save him? With a burst of extra speed, he crossed the distance in a flash. He tossed off the invisibility spell, heedless of the fact anyone could see him now. 

“Don’t!” He wrapped his arms around Yohji, restraining him from going after the girl. 

Machine gunfire shattered the serene morning. 

Before their horrified eyes, they saw Maki being gunned down. Her body jerking around in midair as they riddled her with bullets, before collapsing to the road in a bloody heap. 

A cry, more like a wounded animal than human, tore from Yohji’s throat. It shattered the pristine morning and echoed through the empty streets, drawing the attention of Riot’s men. 

Ran gritted his teeth against the heartrending pain and grief in that scream and pulled the weakly struggling Yohji close to him. They had to leave now before Riot’s men come after them. He called on his power and spirited Yohji away from the place. 

________________________________________

**Chapter Fifteen**

When Yohji finally returned to consciousness, he couldn’t comprehend his surroundings for a moment. He should be lying facedown in an alleyway, bleeding to death, not lying on something soft in a room that looked a lot like his own. Then memories began to trickle in, filling in the blanks for him. 

The disastrous escape, Maki’s sacrifice… 

A choking sob escaped him as realization and guilt crashed down on him. 

No, not again. 

Someone died to save his sorry ass. Gunned down again before his helpless eyes. How many times must it happen to him before he finally learnt his lesson? 

_Oh, Maki. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I swear I’ll make that bastard pay. For you, it’s the least I can do._

Slowly, still fighting against the tears, Yohji sat up. He wanted to lay back down again, hide in his room and wallow in his grief and guilt for the days to come. But he forced himself to get up and move. 

There was a mission to complete and a vengeance to carry out. He was Weiss and he would dispense justice for Maki. 

In the bathroom, his hands were trembling slightly when he cupped water to splash onto his face. His face, when he looked in the mirror, was pale and haggard, etched with lines of pain. His eyes were red and bloodshot. Yohji experimentally touched the angry red scar marring his abdomen, the latest to his collection. It was still tender and stinging, but it had healed. He recognized Omi’s signature on the lingering traces of healing magic surrounding the scar. 

A new mystery presented itself. 

How long had he been unconscious? And who brought him back? 

Yohji’s brows furrowed in concentration as he dug through his pain and panic-hazed memories. He didn’t remember much of their flight when they left the subway tunnels. Much of it was blurry. After realizing what Maki had done, it all descended into a chaotic mess of feelings and sensations. He dimly remembered someone restraining him from going after Maki. He remembered putting up a fight against that person. A person with - 

Yohji’s eyes flew open. 

Ran. 

It was Ran who saved him, brought him to safety despite the flower shop being the enemy’s territory. He bowed his head as guilt pressed further down on him. 

Again, someone risked his life for him. Again. 

“No more,” he whispered under his breath. He opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Hard resolute green eyes stared back at him. “No more.” 

He now knew what he must do.

* * *

“Yohji-kun!” 

Omi’s startled exclamation brought Ken running to the mission room. He almost crashed into Omi at the doorway; the younger blond rooted to the spot by surprise. Ken looked into the room, blinking when he saw the lanky blond assassin sitting quietly at Omi’s computer, studying the data he had stolen from Riot. 

“Yohji-kun, you shouldn’t be up so soon.” Omi said as he walked over to his fellow Weiss. 

“I’m fine, Omi.” 

“What happened?” Ken asked. “We found you lying unconscious against our back door this morning.” 

“Things didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped it would.” Yohji changed the subject. “Have you analyzed the data, Omi?” 

“Yes.” Omi gave him a pleased smile. “We can act tonight. Both me and Ken will go in.” 

“Iya,” Yohji countered. “All three of us.” 

“You need rest,” Omi protested. 

“We’ll go in, the three of us. I’ll take the boss.” 

Ken didn’t like this. He didn’t like the expression on Yohji’s face, stony with repressed emotions and something dark. Somehow this mission had become personal to their field leader and that was unacceptable. 

“Yohji -” he started to say. 

“Okay,” Omi was swift to cut him off. “Yohji-kun, you can come along. But you should go up and rest now. The mission is tonight, you know.” 

Uncharacteristically, Yohji went back to his room without a further word. They watched him go with worried eyes. 

“Why did you stop me?” Ken asked Omi. 

“Now isn’t the time to lecture him on mission protocols,” Omi replied softly. “He’s too sick with pain to be rational.” 

“More reason why he shouldn’t come along tonight. He’s distracted.” 

“But he has to go, Ken-kun.” Knowing sky-blue eyes turned to Ken. “You, of all people, should know how loose threads could haunt a person.” 

“…” There was nothing Ken could say to that. “…Fine, he goes. I hope he doesn’t get himself killed.” 

* * *

It was a starless night, the sky pitch-black and lit only by the lights of the city. 

Ran stood on the top of Riot’s building, amethyst eyes soft and sad, as the cold breeze caressed his face and ran its chilly fingers through his ruby-red hair. What a night and a day it had been for him. Just yesterday afternoon, he was so happy being together with Yohji. Now, his heart ached with sorrow and pain.   
The girl’s sacrifice was the single most compassionate and courageous act Ran had ever seen. She might have been a whore but her heart was much purer than most people he had met. He was reluctant to carry out Takatori’s orders but for her, he would make sure the culprit of her plight pay. 

He wondered how Yohji was doing. His blond lover was unconscious and had been so pale when Ran brought him back to his home. And the pain of having the same terrible thing happened again must have been awful. Ran worried what it would do to Yohji. 

With a sigh, Ran brought his musings back under control. It was time to get this over with. 

Ran closed his eyes and briefly tapped his power. His human disguise melted away, his black suit shifting into the dark maroon trench coat he wore for ‘running errands’. A black metallic mask covered the lower half of his face. When he opened his eyes, the amethyst depths glittered with an icy fierce light. 

The Blood Diamond was ready to prowl the night. 

He summoned his katana to him, gloved hands enclosing around the metal sheath as it appeared before him. Holding his weapon close, the Blood Diamond turned to enter the building. 

He walked through the building, silent and unseen, hidden behind his spell of invisibility. It was unusually quiet in Riot, mostly because the security was still out there searching for Yohji. The lack of security within the building itself was an opportunity the Blood Diamond could not refuse. 

Behind his mask, his lips were pressed into a grim hard line. 

If there was one thing he learnt from Takatori that made absolute sense was ‘to aim for the dragon’s head’. Cut off the head and the rest of the body dies with it. He might hate being so ruthless but he couldn’t help admitting that it was extremely efficient. 

The Blood Diamond ran into the first sign of trouble outside the boss’s private suite. He arrived just in time to see the two guards outside the suite under attack from a flurry of ofuda bolts, identical to those that had attacked him up in the mountains some months ago. The attack was quick and killed the guards in an instant. One stray ofuda bolt flew towards him, forcing him to dodge to a side. At the other end of the corridor, the young owner of those deadly ofuda bolts stared in shocked recognition at him. The Blood Diamond simply glared back at him. 

The blond kid suddenly galvanized into action, chanting under his breath and pulling out some more of his ofudas. In response, the Blood Diamond unsheathed his katana and was about to attack when someone else, in a long black high-collared trench coat, intercepted. 

“Yamero.” A gloved hand caught Bombay’s wrist, stopping him from casting his ofuda spell. 

Bombay gaped at Balinese, unable to believe his ears. “What?” 

“He’s not the target.” Balinese turned to look at the Blood Diamond poised for action. 

Bombay turned his confused gaze from Balinese to the Gem and back again to his friend. The more he looked at them, the more certain he was that there was something not right with the picture. 

Both men were staring at each other, in a silent communication that somehow spoke volumes. There was no hostility that should be present between enemies, no guarded wariness and the sense of impending violence. They seemed as though they already knew each other, and that was a disturbing thought for Bombay. 

Before his incredulous eyes, the Blood Diamond lowered his katana, relaxing in front of his supposed enemy. What the hell is going on? 

Balinese released Bombay’s wrist and stepped forward. “Keep a lookout. I’ll finish the job.” 

“H-hai.” Shaken by what he had just seen, Bombay settled down to keep guard. There was only one thought that kept running through his head - Kritiker was not going to like this. 

“You don’t have to do this, you know.” Yohji said quietly as they entered the suite. 

Ran shook his head. He gave the lanky blond assassin a quick look over, relieved that he looked well on his feet. “That girl needs to be avenged. I’ll take the secretary.” 

A cold grim smile, that sent a chill down Ran’s spine, curved Yohji’s sensual lips. “Arigato. I’m going to make his death as painful as possible.” 

And he did. 

While the Blood Diamond stood over the dead body of the secretary, wiping the blood off his katana, Balinese garroted the sniveling cowering man. 

Yohji refused to use magic for this kill. 

It was too good for the asshole. Instead he used a plain simple garrote wire, pulling hard on the thin line until the man was hanging from the rafters, turning blue as he jerked spasmodically in midair. It was a fraction of what the man deserved, for the physical abuse he dished out to his helpless victims over the years. 

Finally, the deed was done. 

Balinese released the line, letting the body dropped unceremoniously to the floor, and turned to face the Blood Diamond. He did not say anything. The Blood Diamond did not say anything either. He simply nodded and took a step to the side, vanishing from the room. 

And Balinese turned to leave as well. He felt detached and he hoped to remain that way for a little while longer. There was still the little matter of Omi seeing what he shouldn’t have seen.

________________________________________

**Chapter Sixteen**

Reiji Takatori was still awake when the Blood Diamond finally returned to Takatori Estate. 

Still clad in his errand clothes, he went straight to the study room where he knew his master would be. He removed his mask and knelt before the open balcony, gaze lowered to the carpeted floor. “Errand completed, Reiji-sama. The heads of Riot no longer lived.” 

“Excellent.” Takatori did not turn away from his contemplation of the night scenery. “You have done well, Ran.” 

“Arigato, Reiji-sama.” 

“Go and take your rest.” 

Ran hesitated. Then he plucked up his courage to say, “Reiji-sama, I have a favor to ask of you.” 

“Oh?” Takatori finally turned to look at him, one thick graying brow arching up in surprise. “This is the first time you ask a favor of me, Ran. I’m curious to hear it.” 

“I like to go visit my sister, Reiji-sama.” Ran said calmly. 

“At this hour?” 

“With your permission.” 

Ran dared not lift his gaze from the floor as he heard Takatori’s heavy footsteps approached him. He did not move when he felt a large hand on his head, the fingers threading through his hair even though in the hidden depths of his heart, he cringed at the feel of that unwanted possessive touch. 

“My precious Gem,” the detestable voice crooned, “are you still unused to killing?” 

“Onegai, Reiji-sama.” He really needed to get out of here before he retches or do something drastic. 

“All right.” Takatori released him and stepped away. “You can go visit your sister.” 

Ran closed his eyes in relief. “Arigato, Reiji-sama.”

* * *

The mission was a success. 

But Omi was feeling miserable. 

He sat in the darkened kitchen, toying with an untouched glass of cold milk, troubled and brooding. Elsewhere in the building, Ken was getting ready to turn in for the night and Yohji had left their apartment after their ‘heart-to-heart’ talk. It was that ‘heart-to-heart’ talk that troubled him. Yohji had persuaded him not to report what he saw to Kritiker, to keep it a secret, while refusing to explain why. 

Part of him understood why Yohji was so adamant on keeping it a secret. Omi could relate well to the stress of keeping secrets. But, in all good conscience, he could not keep silent either. What Yohji was doing placed Weiss in danger and he, as mission leader, was obliged to eliminate all danger to the team. 

But at the same time, he was also very reluctant to destroy what he could deem as Yohij’s chance to be happy. Weiss was like a little family, bonded by blood and death, pain and grief. They have saved each other, supported each other and trusted each other. It was a relationship not lightly taken and Omi was loathed to turn on Yohji. 

So Omi sat there in the dark, in the wee hours of the night, torn between his allegiance to Kritiker and his loyalty to his friend. 

The blond boy gave a start as the kitchen light went on. He turned, blinking his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness, as Ken entered the kitchen, freshened up from his shower. 

“You still up?” Ken inquired as he walked to the fridge. 

“Ah…” 

“You should be in bed,” Ken continued, rummaging through the fridge for a late-night snack. “You have school tomorrow.” 

“Ah…” 

Ken straightened, a bar of chocolate in his hands, and frowned concernedly at him. “Are you all right, Omi?” 

Omi hesitated. 

Ken was Weiss, an agent of Kritiker. But he was also a friend. More importantly, he was family who had been through the same terrible things. Maybe they would be able to figure a way out of this without telling Kritiker. 

Gomen nasai, Yohji-kun. But I cannot, in good conscience, keep this to myself. It isn’t right.

Taking a deep breath, Omi said, “Ken-kun, do you have a moment to spare? I have something important to tell you.”

* * *

Ran hovered indecisively outside the door of their secret hideaway, back in his human disguise and wearing a plain black laced-up T-shirt and jeans. He could not make up his mind whether to go in or not. He had a strong feeling, a hunch that Yohji was in there, and he didn’t know what kind of mood the blond would be in. 

He was worried for Yohji. 

The blond had acted so strange during his mission earlier that night. Ruthless, almost cruel, unlike his normal jaded but charming self. So full of stone-hard anger and blackest self-loathing that he frightened Ran because he was like a time bomb waiting to explode. 

So he came tonight, telling a lie to gain this rare opportunity of limited freedom, to see what he could do to head off the explosion. But now that he was here, Ran realized he was afraid of the daunting task ahead. Once he entered, he just knew that a lot of suppressed emotions were going to be released and he didn’t know if he could handle the outburst. He was scared to death that he might not be able to help Yohji. 

Ran took a deep breath to calm his agitated mind. Indecision aside, he owed it to Yohji to brave this impending storm. After what the blond had done for him, it would be unforgivable of him to turn his back on Yohji. 

Bracing himself, he commanded the door to open and slipped into the darkened interior of the apartment. It was absolutely quiet and pitch-black in the apartment. After a second thought, he locked the door. The turning of the lock was deafening in the silence. Safe from prying eyes, Ran removed his human disguise. Wetting his dry lips nervously, he crept further into the apartment. He decided against turning on a light. It didn’t seem appropriate to brighten the place. 

He found Yohji in the bedroom, slumped against the wall in a corner. He was half-lying in darkness and half in the slanting fall of light cast by the lamppost outside the bedroom window. There was just enough illumination for Ran to notice two discarded cans of beer on the floor. 

“Yohji?” he whispered. 

He took a timid step into the bedroom, stopping when his toes came in contact with another empty beer can. How many cans of beer did Yohji had? Full of trepidation, Ran slowly ventured over to the unresponsive blond, sinking down to his knees beside him. “Talk to me, Yohji. Please?” 

Finally, Yohji stirred, rousing himself from whatever thoughts he had immersed himself in. “Why are you here?” 

Ran’s heart ached at the dullness of those words. “I’m worried about you.” 

“Are you courting death too?” Yohji asked bitterly. “Don’t do that. Not for me.” 

“Yohji -” 

“You should go, Ran. Leave me and never come back. I can’t promise – I can’t promise your safety.” 

“I don’t care for my safety.” 

“And what about your sister then?” 

“Yohji, you’re talking nonsense.” 

“Am I?” 

Ran gasped as a hand grabbed the collar of his T-shirt and yanked him close. Dulled green eyes drilled into his, miserable and haunted. 

“Tell me, Ran, what exactly can I do for you? Free you? I promised you that, didn’t I?” 

“Stop it.” 

“But how can I possibly free you if I can’t even protect her? What use am I to you if an ordinary girl, a whore at that, had to die to save my useless ass?” 

“Stop it, please.” 

“Two people with no powers sacrificed themselves to save a Class-A Techno-Mage. What a joke! I should be stripped of my ranking and power. I should -” 

“Stop it!” Ran yelled. 

His outburst effectively startled Yohji into silence. 

“You’re an idiot,” Ran growled at him. “You are not a superhero. For all your powers, you are only human and not infallible. The girl died to save you, yes. That doesn’t mean you are worthless or useless. I don’t know what transpired between the both of you in Riot but I know this.” 

It was Ran’s turn to grab Yohji’s collar and roughly pulled him close. 

“Every girl trapped within Riot has no freedom to do as she pleases. They have absolutely no rights whatsoever. But you gave her her freedom and she chose to do the most unselfish and compassionate thing I have ever seen.” 

In a softer voice, Ran said, “She chose, Yohji. In the end, that’s what she did. So don’t go blaming yourself for her death because it was her choice to make that decision.” 

Pained green eyes shimmered with suppressed tears. “It doesn’t make the pain go away, Ran.” 

“I know.” Ran released his hold on Yohji’s collar and wrapped his arms around the shaking lanky body, pulling Yohji into a comforting hug. “I know.” 

Yohji clung onto Ran like a lifeline, burying his head in the redhead’s shoulder as the tears finally flowed. “I don’t…” Yohji gasped out between great racking sobs that tore through his body, “I don’t want the same…same thing…to happen to…you.” 

“Sssh, don’t talk anymore.” Ran said soothingly. “I won’t die on you.” 

“Liar…” 

Ran smiled sadly even though Yohji could not see. They might have talked about it in the past but he guessed the implication was just hitting Yohji now. If he did free Ran, he would be indirectly killing him. And that must be a nightmarish thought for Yohji who never meant him harm. 

“I don’t know if I can do it,” Yohji confessed. He lifted his head, green eyes red-rimmed and face wet with tears. “I love you so much, Ran. The thought of never seeing you, being with you…it hurts just to think about it. I’ll be killing you and I can’t do that.” 

“You can,” Ran said simply. “Because of who you are. You won’t be able to stand seeing me chained to Takatori for long. Sooner or later, my imprisonment will drive you to fulfill your promise even if you hate carrying it out.” He tenderly stroked a tanned cheek. “And when I’m finally free, I will wait for you no matter what. I promise.” 

With a trembling hand, Yohji reached up and grasped Ran by the back of his head, pulling him forward for a hungry desperate kiss. 

Ran folded into his tight embrace, pliant and willing, molding his body to Yohji’s. His mouth opened to the demanding tongue seeking entry. Eyes closing, he leaned into the frantic kiss, yielding to the taste that claimed him. The storm of Yohji’s passion crashed through him like a tsunami, making him moan in response. He pressed closer, his tongue dueling with the passionate warmth, trying to get more. He was drowning, swamped in the blazing passion and it was still not enough. 

So caught up in the inferno of their desire, it took Ran some time before he registered the soft, almost incoherent muttering next to his ear. It was a little while more to get his mind working enough to make sense of the words. 

“Ran…onegai…we shouldn’t…stop me -” 

“No.” 

Uncomprehending green eyes met resolute purple. 

“You need this as badly as I do.” 

“Taka -” 

“I’ll shield,” Ran cut him off softly. “As best as I can. Just for tonight, make love to me.” 

He fell silent and waited as green eyes searched his face for any traces of doubt or uncertainty. But Ran was absolutely sure of this. It was the most risky thing he had ever done but he was fed up with holding back. For once, he wanted something for himself – a night with Yohji. They both needed this last connection to complete the circle, to let their love cleanse away the sorrow of death. He hoped the blond would not refuse him. 

The redhead’s heart leapt for joy when Yohji cupped his face in his warm hands and kissed him. Ran’s eyes fluttered close as the tip of a warm tongue traced his lips, coaxing and firm. When he opened his mouth, a loving force sweetly claimed him. All he could do was to wrap his arms around Yohji’s neck as the depths of his mouth were ravaged slowly and thoroughly. 

Still locked in the kiss, Ran felt Yohji urging him with his hands to stand. He felt fingers entwining in his hair, cradling his head close and a hand splayed at the small of his back, tucking him against the curves of that lean lanky body. Warm breath fanned over his face when Yohji broke the kiss and instead pressed wet nibbling kisses down his throat. He felt the brush of fingers on an ear and under his chin; gently tipping his head back for easier access. He arched up on tiptoes as hands swept up his torso and shivered as a gentle wet kiss was pressed into the junction of his collarbone. 

A warm wet tongue licked the contour of his ear, making him gasp and tremble. 

“Lift your arms,” Yohji whispered. 

Obediently, Ran did as he was told and his T-shirt was pulled off with an easy tug. He had barely a moment to feel the cold air on his skin when Yohji picked up where he left off, worshipping every square inch of his skin with touch and kisses. 

Ran reveled in the caresses, moaning and tossing his head back. He welcomed Yohji’s touch, feeling incredibly cherished and loved. It was so wonderful that Ran regretted holding back in the past. 

Suddenly they fell backwards into bed, Yohji landing almost roughly on top of him. But he didn’t mind; he welcomed Yohji’s weight on him. It was comforting and safe. Hands fumbled at his jeans; Ran heard the shiver of a zipper being undone. Then he felt the heavy material being pulled down his legs and tilted his hips to aid its passage. 

Finally naked, Ran laid back against the sheets, raising his arms up and above his head, legs slightly parted to display his pale rosy erection. He felt a blush heating his cheeks and couldn’t help lowering his eyes shyly as Yohji’s avid green gaze roamed over his nakedness, his eyes devouring him. 

His hand twitched as a fit of shyness came over him but it passed quickly. He felt beautiful, wanted and so very free, under Yohji’s appreciative gaze. He had never felt this way with Takatori. 

“God, you’re beautiful.” Yohji breathed. 

Ran blushed even more. 

“Yohji…” His voice died when Yohji began to strip off his clothes. 

Amethyst eyes rounded as Ran stared unabashedly. He could feel himself getting harder as all that golden expanse of skin was laid bare before his eyes. Lanky but sinewy, Yoji was nothing but muscles strapped directly to bones. Scars, small and great, marred the smoothness of his skin, testimony to his dangerous life. 

Then Yohji was crawling towards him, lying over him, and he was welcoming his lover with an open embrace and a kiss, his legs parting to allow the blond to nestle close to his groin. And then there was no more time to think. 

Yohji began in earnest to make love to him. His expert hands played Ran’s body like a harp, making his skin burn and his nerves sing with pleasure. Ran could feel himself unfurling, blooming like a flower, under the Yohji’s loving onslaught. 

When Yohji finally claimed him, sliding into him slowly and fully, Ran couldn’t help but sob with happiness. Was this how it was supposed to be like? Was this lovemaking? He did not feel cheapened or tainted. Instead, he was renewed and cleansed. Yohji felt so good within him, so deep that he could feel it to his heart. 

The gentle caress of lips over his closed eyes made him aware of his tears. 

“Don’t cry,” Yohji whispered soothingly in a strained voice. “It won’t hurt for much longer, I promise.” 

Ran had to smile at that. He opened his eyes and gazed up at Yohji, their faces so close that Yohji’s fall of hair touched his cheeks. 

“It doesn’t hurt.” Ran reached up and caressed that beloved face. “It just felt so good, so right.” 

Green eyes closed. When they opened again, the intensity of love and emotions in their verdant depths took Ran’s breath away. 

“I love you,” Yohji whispered. He caught hold of Ran’s hand and kissed his pale fingers. “I love you.” 

He began to move, rocking slowly, gently. Ran wrapped his legs around the blond’s narrow waist; their gazes never break as they moved in unison. 

Their hands remained entwined, pressed against the mattress, as their pace quickened. With every thrust, Yohji’s soft declaration filled the air over and over again. They came at the same time, Yohji’s declaration changing into a cry of pleasure that mingled with Ran’s outburst. 

Yohji braced himself on trembling arms above Ran for a shaky moment and then collapsed, heedless of Ran’s wet pleasure staining his stomach. The redhead cradled him close, his own breathing erratic and shallow and a soft gentle smile on his face. He could still feel Yohji inside him, the overflowing warmth of his seed spilling down his inner thighs, a wet reminder of this very precious moment. He lovingly rubbed his cheek against the blond head. Come what may, he would always remember this night. 

With an effort, the blond shifted to lay beside Ran, the pale smaller man secure within his embrace. 

“Aishiteru, Yohji.” He smiled soft and gentle at the blond, pale fingers tracing the fine sensual features. “That’s the one thing I have never given to Takatori.” 

“I love you too.” Yohji kissed him, slow and deep. “Stay. For as long as you can.” 

“Hai.” And he tugged Yohji down for another kiss.

________________________________________

**Interlude**

Schuldich lounged languidly on the settee in the living room of Schwartz’s luxurious penthouse, green eyes half-lidded as he engaged in his favorite pastime – playing with unsuspecting minds. Already, he had caused one accident at the junction just around the corner of their building and one apparent suicide. 

“Don’t you have anything else better to do?” 

Schuldich cracked open an eye and smirked lazily at the thin teenaged boy. “I barely got started, Nagi.” 

“You might want to rest that mind of yours for the night, Schuldich.” 

The German telepath looked up in the direction of that remark and arched a brow at the tired but still calculating expression on Crawford’s face. 

“Now you look like the cat who got the cream,” Schuldich observed. “After running an obstacle course for hours.” 

“I want you and Farfarello to pay a visit to Takatori tomorrow morning and offer your services to him.” 

“And why would I want to do that?” 

“Because Schwartz simply wants to make sure the pact he made with the Elders will be fulfilled.” 

“He will buy that?” 

“You need to ask?” 

Schuldich shrugged. “Fine, we’ll go.” 

“Good.” Crawford turned around to head for his bedroom. 

//What are you up to, Brad?// 

Crawford ignored the telepathic question. His mind was a secret to the telepath and he intended to keep it that way. The future that revealed itself to him was one he had spent many hours and effort just to discern it. It was exhausting work and that future was not completely set in stone yet. 

Not until several other events happened first. 

In the privacy of his bedroom, Crawford allowed himself a chilling smile. 

But when it finally happens, Schwartz will gain the most from it.


	3. Hidaka - 17 to 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A forbidden love grows between an assassin and the cursed Gem. Now with their secret exposed, both Yohji and Ran must fight for their love. But Takatori is a vengeful master and he has Aya-chan’s fate in his hands. Snow in June heralds the coming of disaster. YohjixRan, TakatorixRan.

** Hidaka **

Ken Hidaka was no stranger to ostracism. 

For as long as he could remember, he had been shunned because of his Crossbreed heritage. When he was just a child, he didn’t know why but as he grew older, he learnt that it was because he was different. If someone had bothered to tell him why he was different, it might have made things slightly better. But nobody did and Ken’s bewilderment did nothing to ease the hurt and pain. 

In the orphanage where he grew up, the other children avoided him and called him a freak. Ken wanted very badly to be just an ordinary child but his inability to control the inherent Hunter’s wild nature and tendency for violence thwarted his every attempt. 

The sisters who ran the orphanage despaired of ever taming him. Five-year-old Ken himself was resentful and frustrated at his own feral nature. He never wanted to create trouble for anyone but the Hunter half of him just refused to listen. The only good thing his feral Hunter nature ever did for him was to gain him a friend – his only friend in the orphanage. 

His name was Kase Koichiro, another orphan as old as Ken but small for his age. He was constantly bullied at the orphanage until Ken stepped in. The Crossbreed was the only one who dared to stand up to the bully and he stopped Kase’s torment in the only way he knew how – with his fists. 

From that day on, Kase hung around Ken. At first it was for protection, but as they got to know each other, they became close friends. Odd as it may sound, Kase was the only one not afraid of Ken’s violent anger. He was always there, calming Ken as best as he could, every time Ken’s rage spiraled out of control. 

One month after Ken turned ten, he was called to the sister’s office… 

“Ken, I like you to meet Mr. Persia.” 

Wary green eyes stared at the bearded man dressed in a cream-white business suit. Although the man was seated and looked friendly enough, Ken knew instinctively that there was more to him than meets the eye. 

“Good afternoon, sir.” He greeted warily. 

Persia smiled at him. “Good afternoon, young Ken.” 

“Mr. Persia is here to adopt you, Ken.” The sister beamed happily. “Isn’t that wonderful?” 

“Really?” Ken asked suspiciously. He didn’t believe her for a moment. Nobody in his right mind would want to adopt a freak like him. 

“Yes,” Persia answered. “I have a weakness of bringing home strays, that’s all.” 

“I am not a stray!” Ken bristled. 

“Watch your tone, young man!” The sister admonished. 

“No, he’s right. He is not a stray.” Persia knelt down before the young boy. “I’m sorry if I misjudge you.” 

Ken blinked. This was the first time anyone had apologized to him for an insult. “O-okay,” he said a tad uncertainly. He didn’t know what to make of this man. 

“May I see your hands?” Persia asked politely. 

Instinctively, Ken hid his hands behind his back. 

Persia gave him a gentle smile. “I won’t laugh at you, Ken.” 

“Go on, Ken.” The sister encouraged. “It will be all right.” 

Hesitatingly, Ken stretched out his hands to the man. He had always hated his hands. Instead of nails, he had sheathed claws. They were the most obvious sign of his differences, an easy target for the other children’s teasing. Every adult that came to the orphanage passed him over for adoption because of these hands. He chewed his bottom lip nervously, convinced that Persia would change his mind about adopting him once he realized what Ken was. 

“It hasn’t been easy for you, has it, child?” Persia remarked softly. 

Ken blinked again, not understanding his words. 

“I know what you are, Ken.” Persia told him. “I can help you, teach you how to control the anger, make it work for you so you’ll never feel like a freak again. Wouldn’t you like that?” 

“You can do that?” 

“Yes.” 

It was really a tantalizing offer but there was something else that worried Ken. “What about Kase? Can you adopt him too?” 

“Kase? Who is Kase?” 

“My very best friend,” Ken announced proudly. 

“I’m sorry, Ken. I can only adopt you.” 

“Then I’m not going.” 

“How about I make a deal with you?” 

Ken stared at him suspiciously. “What kind of deal?” 

“I have a friend who’s looking to adopt a child too. If you agree to be my son, I can convince my friend to adopt Kase.” 

“But we won’t be in the same family.” 

“No, you won’t. But Kase will get a good family too.” 

“We’ll still be able to see each other?” 

“Yes. As often as you like. So do we have a deal?” 

“Okay.” 

Persia was true to his words. He did managed to get Kase adopted into another family, who joyfully welcomed the other boy, and took the Crossbreed child under his wing. 

From him, Ken finally learnt the truth of his heritage and why the Hunters refused to acknowledge him. Persia also taught him how to control the ruthless bloodthirsty nature of the Hunter. By the time he was fifteen, Ken had managed to calm the violent rage and kept his dual nature under control. 

Throughout his early years, for some reason Ken could never fathom, he also completely failed to realize that the Persia who adopted him was the same Persia who ran Kritiker & Co. Persia never took Ken to his business or social obligations, kept him away from the limelight of his job, and made sure he grew up unaware of his guardian’s social standing. 

That was okay with Ken who didn’t even know about Persia’s social life but what the young boy found strange was the promise Persia extracted from him. He made Ken promised not to tell anyone who his guardian was, not even to Kase. It was an odd promise, but somehow Ken quickly forgotten about the strangeness of it and agreed to it. 

Ken never knew if his lack of realization was due to his own oversight or to Persia’s magical influence. Certainly, it wasn’t until his life was in ruins did he finally make the connection. 

But for now, his early teenaged years were the happiest time of his life. With his control over his Hunter nature growing, Ken gained a newfound confidence in himself and his own abilities. He was finally able to see how to use his talents in positive ways. To his further joy, he and Kase went to the same high school as well. They attended the same classes, hung out with the same group of friends and joined the same sport – soccer. 

Ken loved soccer and he excelled at it. His superior physical attributes gave him an edge over everyone else and he caught the eye of the high school soccer coach. Ken rapidly became the star of his high school soccer team and attracted the attention of many professional soccer clubs on the lookout to recruit new talents. For the first time in his life, Ken’s Crossbreed heritage was working in his favor and he was determined to make the best of it. 

Until…

“I DON’T REMEMBER!” Ken yelled, nearly in tears from frustration and fear. “I don’t remember how I ended up in that woman’s place, I don’t remember having sex with her or tearing her apart with my bare hands! I don’t remember anything!” 

“Are you sure?” the police detective pressed mercilessly. “Don’t lie to me, Hidaka.” 

“I really don’t remember anything.” 

And it was the truth, as Ken knew it. 

He honestly couldn’t remember anything from the last twenty-four hours; his last memory was of having a drink with Kase at a pub. Next thing he knew he had woken up in a bed soaked in blood, naked and covered in same awful gory stuff, beside the ravaged body of a woman. Stunned and completely paralyzed with fear, Ken never registered the police barging into the apartment and arresting him on the spot for murder. He tried hard to convince the police of his innocence but the evidence piled up against him was damning. He was covered in the woman’s blood; his fingerprints were all over the place. Worse yet, they even found traces of the woman’s blood when they pumped his stomach for its contents. 

Ken was terrified and angry, getting to the point of hysterics – a dangerous state for him. Already, he was having a hard time controlling the red rage that threatened to rear its ugly head again. His life, put together with such great effort, was falling apart and he didn’t know how to put it back together again. He wanted to lash out at the injustice of it all. 

“Hidaka,” the police detective spoke, “whether you remember killing the woman or not is no longer relevant. The fact remains – she’s dead and clearly killed by you.” 

Ken groaned. 

“I’m sorry, boy. But the evidence is clear.” 

“No.” 

“Ken Hidaka, I hereby place you under arrest for -” 

“No.” Ken began to shake. “You can’t -” 

“- the murder of -” 

“Please don’t.” By this time, Ken was having trouble breathing. His heart was pounding so hard, so fast that it threatened to burst from his ribcage. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision, but nearly sent himself sprawling to the floor, so dizzy was he. 

“Hidaka, are you all right?” 

No, he wasn’t all right, Ken tried to say, but the words were beyond him. 

“Shit, he’s going into seizure!” 

“Call an ambulance!” 

As he finally collapsed, Ken welcomed the darkness that swept him away. 

When he woke again, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. The curtains were drawn but light peering in around the edges told him that it was day at least. 

Ken slowly sat up, wondering dazedly how he had ended up in this place and not in a prison cell. 

“You’re finally awake, I see.” Ken watched bewilderedly as Persia entered the bedroom and sat down in the chair beside his bed. “You have been asleep for nearly three days.” 

“What happened?” 

“You died.” 

Ken stared. 

“You died,” Persia explained calmly, as though it was something that happened everyday. “When you went in seizure at the police station, they rushed you to the nearest hospital. But it was too late. You died in the A&E. Then I substituted your body with someone else’s in the hospital and brought you here. I had a devil of a time calling your soul back, so please don’t do that again.” 

“I’m dead?” Ken asked faintly. 

“Legally speaking.” 

Ken hugged himself tightly. “Persia, did I really kill that woman?” 

“…I’m afraid so, Ken.” 

Ken closed his eyes. His world had finally shattered. He should have known better; it was too good to be true. “Then that detective was right. I am guilty of murder.” 

“If it’s any comfort, you didn’t do it of your own free will. Traces of an unknown drug were found in your bloodstream. Not enough for a full analysis or identification, but it’s safe to say it’s the root of your troubles. From what I think, it removes all inhibitions and stimulates your bloodlust.” 

“What does it matter?” Ken said bitterly. “I killed an innocent.” 

“You might want to know somebody slipped you that drug.” 

“So what?!” Ken snarled, finally releasing the helpless rage against the injustice of it all. He clenched his fists against the sheets, claws digging into his palms so hard that he drew blood. “Someone is dead! My life is ruined! I can never go back to playing soccer again!” 

He pounded his fists against the mattress, a strangled howl of distress escaping him. Damn it all, it wasn’t fair! He had spent so much time and effort to be normal and build a normal life, and this is what he get in return?! It was just not fair! 

Persia sighed soundlessly, sad and weary, as he gazed upon the raging, grieving boy in bed. Nothing he says now would comfort the shattered soul. Despite his fierce violent nature, Ken was a compassionate boy. 

It was a long time before Ken calmed down, spent and felling incredibly empty. “Kase must be crushed,” he remarked distantly. 

“Don’t worry about him. You have bigger problems to solve. For one, don’t you want to find the culprit responsible for your ruin?” 

“And how am I supposed to do that? I’m dead, remember?” 

Persia turned to face him, grave and serious. “You have an option and a chance.” 

Ken cocked his head attentively; willing to hear whatever Persia has to say. 

“Join Weiss. Become my assassin in Kritiker’s quest to free Magnopolis from the hands of Takatori and Estet, and at the same time, find the person behind your downfall.” 

Ken caught his breath, a cold chill running down his spine. “You are asking me to become a killer?” 

“For the sake of this city.” 

Ken stared at Persia, seeing the man in a new light. Suddenly, out of the blue, everything just clicked into place. “You’re that Persia, aren’t you? Kritiker’s boss?” 

“Yes.” 

“I must be blind if I never make that connection before.” Then Ken narrowed his eyes shrewdly. “Or did you have anything to do with it?” 

“Better late than never,” Persia replied blandly, clearly not answering his question. Then he turned serious. “I must warn you, Ken. Joining Weiss is a one-way ticket. You cannot back out and your life will be mine.” 

“A rock and a hard place, eh?” Ken was disturbed by what Persia requested from him. Despite his Hunter nature, he never wanted to kill or hurt other people. “How could you ask this of me? Or did you already planned it from the start?” 

“No. I didn’t see this coming either.” 

“Didn’t see-?” Ken glared at the older man. “Tell me the truth. Why did you personally go to the orphanage? Were you looking for me?” 

“Ken, calm down.” 

The brunette snapped his mouth close, quelling despite himself under Persia’ stern look. 

“I admit, I adopted you because of something I was told in the past. You have an important role but I didn’t know what that role is. I still don’t. Ken, I never want you to become an assassin for me, but right now, this is the only thing I can do for you. Even someone as powerful as me can’t turn back time to restore your life.” 

“You could have just send me out of the country, you know.” 

“But it will do nothing for your thirst of vengeance.” 

“Who says I’ll be seeking revenge?” Ken asked half-heartedly. But it was hard to deny even to himself. Now that he knew he was set up, it would be a matter of time before he start searching for the man responsible. 

Persia gave him a condescending look. “I brought you up, Ken. Give me some credit. At least in Weiss, you have Kritiker’s resources to help you.” 

“But what will Weiss do? I’m not killing any more innocent people.” 

“You don’t have to worry about that because your targets will be those the law cannot touch. In a way, Weiss might be good for you. It gives you an outlet for your Hunter nature, yet still keep you in control at the same time.” 

“Don’t make me sound like an animal,” Ken growled. 

“Sorry, but you know I’m right. Look at it this way. How long will it be before you violently hurt someone on the soccer field because you were on an adrenaline high?” 

Ken’s fists tightened against the sheets but he did not say anything. He bowed his head, shoulders hunched. “All right…I’ll join Weiss.” 

Because what other choice did he have? 

Almost three years later, Siberian stood at the top of the steps leading to the headquarters of Asia Construction Company, wearing the garb of an assassin and carrying a bleeding wound in his heart. Green eyes stared distantly, emotionlessly at Kase groveling at the bottom of the steps, begging for mercy. 

Ken barely heard him. 

Once Kase was the only friendly person he ever knew. But now, watching his best friend, seeing how low and conniving he had became, Ken could barely recognize him. 

For three years, he lived the life of an assassin, waiting for the chance to carry out his vengeance. Kase never left his thoughts during these years. Ken often wondered why Kase wasn’t there to stop him from attacking that woman, wondered why Kase didn’t notice his Crossbreed friend was behaving strangely that night at the pub. He often asked himself why Kase was not in the photos Persia secretly took at his funeral and showed him as proof he was ‘dead’. 

But despite all the questions, he wondered how Kase was doing, hoping that his best friend had gotten over his grief and moved on with his life. 

Kase did move on with his life but at the expense of his own. He never knew Kase harbored that much hatred for him, that much envy and jealousy for his talent at soccer. He never knew Kase saw him as an obstacle to his own success because Ken was that good; he never knew Kase was such a petty, ambitious, egotistical and malicious man. 

There was a depressingly lot of things Ken never knew about his so-called best friend. 

He should be angry. But he was not. There was a throbbing pain in his heart but other than that he was completely numb. Distantly he marveled at the lack of fury. 

With slow measured steps, Ken walked down the steps to meet Kase. 

He would settle this with his own hands, deal out justice and vengeance to the one who ruined his life, so Kase could never hurt another like he hurt him. 

Claws unsheathed, Siberian prepared to strike…

* * *

“Oi.”

Ken never looked up from his contemplation of the city skyline at night. He didn’t stir as Yohji joined him on the rooftop, the blond’s elbow resting on the cement ledge next to his face cradled in his folded arms. 

“You should at least bring a jacket with you,” Yohji said as he lit up a cigarette. “It’s cold tonight.” 

Ken remained unresponsive. 

“That man tonight…you seem to have a history with him. A long close relationship. Maybe he’s even the reason why you joined Weiss, eh?” 

That caught Ken’s attention. “Is that any business of yours?” he asked testily. 

“Nope. But you nearly went rogue on the mission, that’s what I’m concerned about. You know what happen if one of us goes rogue.” 

“Don’t worry,” Ken said sarcastically. “It won’t happen again.” 

“I doubt it will. You did tie up loose ends tonight.” 

There was silence for a long while. 

“He was my best friend,” Ken said at last in a small voice. “My only friend for a long time. I don’t understand how he could have betrayed me. Our friendship should have meant something to him.” He buried his face in his arms. “It’s not fair.” 

Yohji listened in silence, green eyes sympathetic and sad. “No, it’s not. I can’t help you to understand why your friend was willing to betray you. All I can say is grieve for his death if you want, but don’t blame yourself for his actions. He brought it on upon himself. If you hadn’t killed him tonight, someone else would have.” 

“I’ll never trust anyone that much again,” Ken vowed, his voice muffled in his arms. 

“If that makes you feel better.” Yohji dropped the filter of the cigarette onto the rooftop and crushed it behind his shoe. “Pick yourself up and live on, Ken. If it still hurts, you know where to find Omi or me. After all, Weiss is the only one you can trust now.” 

That was a year ago and Ken never forgot those words. 

Weiss was indeed the only people he could trust with his life and heart, for they were all in the same boat. They were bonded together by blood and death, pain and destruction. Their lives were no longer their own and they could only exist by pretending to be someone else. 

Even if they were to betray him, Ken knew it wouldn’t be out of a desire to do so. 

Then Omi told him about Yohji’s secret and Ken feared that the same kind of shit was about to happen again, this time by Yohji’s hand. 

And Ken would be damned if he just stand by and do nothing about it.

________________________________________

**Chapter Seventeen**

The sky was the colorless gray of the moment that hung between night and dawn when Ran finally returned to Takatori’s estate. He easily stole past the guards and glided through the gardens, silent and noiseless, as he made his way back to his bedroom. The mansion was still asleep; no one was up yet – a tiny bit of luck he was grateful for. 

Now if only he could slip past his master. Ran knew Takatori wouldn’t be pleased with his staying-out for the whole night. Every time he went out on his own, it was with the unspoken order to return as soon as possible. He had greatly pushed the limit last night. 

But it was worth it. 

Ran smiled at the memory of their lovemaking. He had never felt so contented or so blissful as he lay entwined with Yohji among the sheets in their little sanctuary, making slow sweet love to each other, savoring every precious moment. They spoke little and let their hands did all the talking, with touches and caresses, speaking for their hearts. They had spent the last two weeks talking plenty anyway. 

Last night was the consummation of their relationship, an expression of their mutual love, an unspoken acknowledgement of the uncertain future and the determination to make every moment count. It was the kind of memory to be secreted away for safekeeping, far away from taint of his life, so it would be there when he needed it most. 

With a leap, Ran easily jumped up to the balcony of his third-floor bedroom. He pushed open the balcony doors and paused at the threshold, amethyst eyes unerringly homed in to the man seated at the settee, back facing him. For a panicked moment, Ran’s heart leapt into his throat before settling down. He hastily pulled his ice mask back on again and buried his memories of last night deep into the recesses of his mind. 

“You’ve been gone the whole night, Ran.” Takatori remarked calmly. 

“Gomen nasai,” Ran replied in his usual monotone. He closed the balcony doors and stepped further into his bedroom, keeping a safe distance between him and Takatori. “I spent the night at Aya-chan’s side.” 

“That’s funny. I called the hospital’s night desk. The nurse on duty told me you never showed up.” 

“I sneaked in.” 

“And why would you do that, I wonder?” 

“I didn’t want to draw attention.” 

To Ran’s unease, Takatori began to laugh, a dark ugly laugh. He watched his master warily as Takatori rose to his feet and turned to glare at him. 

“Didn’t want to draw attention?” 

Ran involuntarily fell back a step as Takatori advanced menacingly towards him. Fury blazed deep in his master’s eyes; only once he had seen that fury before, which made fear to coil deep in his stomach and squeezed his heart. 

“Who are you trying to fool?!” 

“Reiji-sama, I don’t understand -” The heavy blow landing across his face was swift and completely unexpected. Ran stumbled and went sprawling to the floor. One hand covering his throbbing cheek, he stared up with fearful eyes at Takatori towering above him. 

“I know what you did behind my back!” Takatori accused. 

No.

“How dare you! I rescued you when you have nothing and desperate for help. In exchange, all I ask for is your devotion and this is how you repay me?! By taking another to your bed?!” 

Ran saw Takatori’s hand rising once more to strike him. Despite himself, he instinctively threw up his arm, blocking the blow, and knew at once he had made things worse. Takatori didn’t like it when he asserted himself. 

Takatori’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Grown a backbone now, have you?” 

Ran did not lower his arm. “How did you find out?” 

“You may strength your shields all you can, Ran, but you can’t hide from me. I felt everything you did.” With a quickness that belied his size, Takatori seized Ran by his hair, lifting him. “Who is he? Tell me!” 

“Nobody!” Ran gasped out, eyes watering from the painful grip. “Nobody, I swear!” 

“We shall see.” 

Amethyst eyes widened in fear as Takatori covered Ran’s face with his other hand – and forced his way into his mind. 

Ran screamed. 

Pain ripped through his head, as Takatori’s black acidic presence tore down his defenses and clawed through the soft exposed places in his mind, forcibly ripping out all his memories to be examined and discarded aside. A helpless moan of anguish slipped from his mouth as he felt Takatori’s black slimy taint seizing hold of his memories of last night, scrutinizing it so closely before hurling it away in jealous fury. He couldn’t fight the invasion; he was paralyzed, powerless against the vicious cruel violation that burned and tore him apart. 

When he was finally released, he collapsed onto the floor in a quivering mess of pain and shock. His mind felt raw, like an open gaping wound bleeding so bad that he could barely sense Takatori’s fury rising to dangerous levels. 

“Traitor,” Takatori snarled. “You dare to have an affair with my enemy?” 

“Please…” Ran managed to get up to a sitting position. “Don’t hurt him.” 

“Spare his life?” Takatori sneered. “You should have thought of that before you spread your legs for him, slut. Do you care that little for your precious sister?” 

A new frisson of fear snaked through Ran. 

“I hold her life and her cure in my hand. With a snap of a finger, I can terminate her life just like that.” 

“No,” he whispered. “Leave her out of this.” 

Takatori smiled cruelly. “Your transgression must be punished, Ran. And what better way than to inflict it on your beloved sister?” 

To Ran’s horror, he lifted his hand as though to snap his fingers. 

“NO!” The redhead lunged forward and grabbed the other’s man hand, stopping the movement. “Don’t hurt her! Onegai, Reiji-sama! Don’t hurt her! I’ll do anything you ask, just please, don’t hurt her.” 

“Anything?” 

“Y-yes. Anything.” 

Takatori leaned down and whispered into his ear, “Kill him.” 

Ran froze. 

“With your own hands, with your own sword, kill him.” Takatori straightened up; looking down at Ran slumped on the floor, too stunned to even think. “Tonight. Kill your lover and your sister will remain unharmed.” 

Oh God, how did this happened? To kill Yohji because he dare to love a Gem…to kill the only person who made his life so much bearable. He can’t do it. He loved Yohji very much. The blond man was so precious to him. But his sister, his beloved sister whom he vowed to protect no matter what – he can’t allow her to get hurt. There was no one beside him to protect his imouto. 

If you fight him, he will order me to kill you and I will kill you.

Ran’s face contorted in agony. He told Yohji that so long ago. He knew it to be true, but the fact and reality were often different. It never said anything of the pain of the deed. 

“Well?” 

“…Hai,” he forced the word out. Inside, Ran wept, feeling as though there was a knife twisting in his heart. I’m sorry, Yohji, so sorry. I don’t have a choice. For Aya-chan…I have to protect her. 

* * *

Unaware of his lover’s plight, Yohji was in an exceptionally good mood when he returned home. The self-loathing that threatened to drown him was gone, replaced by a renewed sense of hope and determination, all thanks to Ran. His lover’s steadfast belief and love in him was nothing short of humbling. 

And it was enough. 

As long as Ran continued to believe in him, he would be able to carry out his promise. No matter the price. 

Yohji’s musing ceased when he stepped into the kitchen for a morning snack, and saw both Omi and Ken seated at the dining table, both looking grim. 

No, wait. 

Omi looked uncomfortable and guilty but Ken looked like a thundercloud. And from the looks of it, both of them had been up all night. 

Not good. 

“Yohji, we need to talk.” Ken said without preamble. He discreetly took a sniff and frowned even harder. “Right now.” 

“Can’t it wait till after breakfast?” 

The brunette scowled at him. 

“All right,” Yohji sighed. Somewhat wary, he sat down in the chair opposite them and lit a cigarette. “So talk.” 

“Yohji-kun.” 

“Hai, chibi?” 

“Omi squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. “Gomen nasai. But I had to tell Ken.” 

Damn.

“It just doesn’t feel right to keep it to myself,” Omi confessed.

“What the hell are you thinking?!” Ken burst out angrily. “How could you sleep with the enemy?!” 

Omi gaped. “Um, Ken-kun, I thought I said he only helped the enemy on a mission?” he ventured hesitantly. 

“It runs deeper than that, Omi.” Ken replied grimly. “For two weeks now, I have been smelling a foreign scent on him. One I remembered coming across but I forgotten where. It was too faint for me to put an ID on it but it always nagged at my memory. But when you told me about the mission, I finally remembered where I had smelled it before.” 

Yohji kept silent, wary and tense. 

“It was up in the mountains when we first fought against the Blood Diamond. That was his scent.” Ken slammed his palms against the table top, leaning forward to glare at Yohji. “He has been seeing the Blood Diamond behind our backs for two weeks, maybe even longer. And if my nose is correct, even had sex with him!” 

Omi turned to look at Yohji, appalled. “Yohji-kun, is that true?” 

“Hai.” 

Ken growled, while behind him, Omi looked as though he wished none of this was happening. 

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Ken growled out the words. “I thought you have more sense than this! The Blood Diamond belongs to Reiji Takatori, Kritiker’s enemy. And we are Weiss!” 

“I know that.” 

“Even if you aren’t Weiss, befriending the Blood Diamond is still dangerous.” Omi pointed out, upset. “Takatori is known to be very possessive of his Gem.” 

“I know that too.” 

“Then why the hell did you make such a dumb mistake?!” Ken yelled. 

“I love him.” 

Both Ken and Omi stared at the blond, unable to believe what they were hearing. 

Yohji stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. “His name is Ran Fujimiya and I love him. That’s why I did what I did. It’s why I couldn’t distance myself from him, not when I have seen his true self.” 

He took off his shades. Green eyes, calm yet hard, met their gazes. 

“I know how much I am endangering the both of us and Weiss. And believe me when I say, he’s endangering the one thing he wants to protect the most as well. But neither of us could stand not seeing each other.” 

Yohji rose to his feet, passion and anger finally showing. “I realize if either Takatori or Kritiker finds out, both of us will suffer for it. Weiss will be endangered and his sister as well. But we are willing to risk it. I love him and he loves me. So yes, I know this can’t have a good ending, this is a dumb mistake and I have taken complete leave of my senses, but damn it all, I. Love. Him!” 

Ken stared at him for a long moment and then said very calmly, “are you sure it’s not a spell?” 

Without thinking, Yohji lashed out and punched Ken in the face. “Don’t you think I would know it if he tried to bewitch me?” 

“You tell me,” the Crossbreed snapped, green eyes flashing angrily. He wiped the blood from his cut lip. “The way you’ve been behaving is totally out of your character.” 

“And what do you know of my character?” Yohji sneered. 

He stepped around the table. Ken followed suit. Both of them circled each other in the small kitchen, ignoring Omi frantically trying to stop them. 

“You know nothing about me!” Yohji spat at Ken. 

“You’ll fuck anything on two legs and looks pretty,” Ken retorted, too caught up in his rage to really know what he was saying. “And Takatori’s Gem is the most beautiful thing in this world. It wouldn’t be that difficult for him to seduce you just by spreading his legs.” 

With a roar of fury, Yohji went for his throat. 

Both men went crashing across the kitchen, grappling and wrestling. The dining table broke into twos under their combined weight as they tussled, sending them sprawling to the floor and still they fought on, landing punches with deadly intent. 

“ENOUGH!”

A sudden blast of power separated the two combatants, tossing Yohji aside and hurling Ken against the wall. Both of them turned to scowl at the intruder but froze where they were. 

Omi glared back at them, a single ofuda glowing brightly in his hand. 

Neither of them has ever seen Omi this pissed off. 

“You won’t solve anything by fighting each other,” the youngest of them snapped. 

Ken wiped the line of blood from his cut lip, trying his best to control his temper. “I’m just trying to make him see reason.” 

“By insulting Ran?” Yohji growled. 

“I don’t care if he loves you or not. He is Takatori’s Gem. He will betray you. It’s just a matter of time.” 

“Oh shut up, Ken.” Omi ordered testily. “Right now the most important thing is how to extract Yohji from this situation and still not let Kritiker know about it.” 

“You believe me?” Yohji asked. 

“You want to endanger Weiss for him?” Ken asked at the same time. 

“Yes, Yohji-kun, I believe you and we are already in danger, Ken-kun. Might as well go along with it. Besides,” keen blue eyes studied Yohji thoughtfully, “if the Gem is in love with Yohji-kun, then there must something else tying him to Takatori. Am I right?” 

Yohji picked himself up painfully from the floor, wincing as a twinge went through his body. “You are much too clever for your own good, do you know that?” 

“Why do you think I’m leader of Weiss? So spill.” 

“I promise I’ll free him,” Yohji admitted, “And his sister.” 

“Oh good lord,” Ken muttered. 

Omi shot the brunette a glare. To Yohji, he said, “You will have to kill Takatori to accomplish that.” 

“We’re Weiss, and Kritiker is constantly looking for a way to oust Takatori from Magnopolis. There will be a chance. I just have to be patient.” 

“And in the meantime pray Takatori doesn’t find out about your affair with his Gem,” Ken added caustically. “You should have called it off when you had the chance.” 

“I tried.” 

Ken paused, hearing the strangely calm resignation in Yohji’s voice. 

“On Takatori’s island,” Yohji continued in a distant voice, “when I found out about his identity. It also took me less than a day to realize it was too late. I could no longer turn away from him.” 

Green eyes turned to Ken, serene and filled with a hopeless kind of acceptance. It was the look of a man who knew he had willingly fallen into a trap with no way out and neither did he want to fight against it. It was that look in Yohji’s eyes, more than anything else, that diffused Ken’s anger. 

“Of all the things you have to be, it’s to be a star-crossed lover,” Ken groused with significantly less heat than before. 

Yohji smiled faintly. 

Silence descended, all three contemplating the consequences of Yohji’s actions. The shrill ringing of Yohji’s cell phone broke the silence, startling everyone. 

Yohji pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “Hello?” 

“…” 

He frowned. “Hello? Is anyone there?” 

“…Yohji?” 

“Ran?” 

Both Omi and Ken tensed, looking intently at the blond playboy. 

“Ran, are you okay?” Yohji asked softly, worriedly. He could hear the strain in his lover’s voice as Ran fought to keep back his emotions. 

“He found out.” 

There was no need to ask who Ran was talking about. “Did he hurt you?” 

“I’m all right,” Ran was quick to answer. Too quick, in fact. “Yohji…” A quick shuddering breath and then Ran said in the calmest voice he could manage, “He ordered me to kill you.” 

Yohji closed his eyes, unsurprised at all. “He did, huh?” 

“Meet me tonight, at eleven. The abandoned fairground at Mayland.” 

“I’ll be there.” 

“Y-Yohji?” 

“I’m here, Ran.” 

“I…I…” Another strangled sound and the line went dead. 

Yohji slowly put down his cell phone, looking at his friends staring at him expectedly. “Takatori found out,” he told them quietly. 

Ken cursed. 

“He ordered Ran to kill me. Tonight.” 

“Are you going?” Ken demanded. 

“Yes.” 

“But you can’t go!” Omi objected. 

The slightest of a smile curved Yohji’s lips. “I knew this might happen.” 

“So you’re just going to go there and give up your life?” Ken asked accusingly. 

Yohji shook his head. “No, I have an idea but I’ll need your help. I want you to rescue his sister. Ran doesn’t want to fight me. If we can get his sister away from Takatori, it’ll be easy for me to persuade him to drop the fight.” 

“And then what?” Ken asked skeptically. “The both of you go after Takatori, kill him to set the Gem free?” 

“Yes. In a nutshell.” 

“I don’t like it.” 

“You don’t have to, Ken. But this is the only way to keep Weiss safe, isn’t it? And Kritiker don’t have to know either, right, Omi?” 

“No,” the younger blond agreed readily. 

Ken growled. He utterly hated the entire idea. “This whole thing is just going to blow up in our faces, Omi.” 

“Not if we do this right. If we manage to get rid of Takatori, Kritiker will have one less adversary to worry about.” Omi cracked his knuckles in anticipation. “This is Weiss’ current mission. Yohji, join me in the mission room after you help Ken to clean up the kitchen. I’ll be down there planning the mission.” 

Omi left the kitchen for the mission room, leaving the both older assassins in the kitchen. 

With a groan, Yohji started to pick up the broken pieces of the table. He hated housekeeping with a passion but the kitchen was Omi’s domain and incurring the young assassin’s wrath was never a good idea. 

“Go down to the mission room.” 

Yohji looked up at Ken. 

“You go help Omi. I’ll clean up here.” Suiting action to words, Ken knelt down to the task. He still refused to meet Yohji’s gaze. “I bet you didn’t sleep a wink last night. Go help Omi and then get some rest. You’ll need it for tonight.” 

“Thanks.” 

Ken glared at him, though it carried less heat this time. “I’m still angry at you, Yohji. So don’t thank me.” 

“If you say so.” 

Yohji rose to his feet. Pausing next to his friend, he laid a hand on Ken’s shoulder and murmured the words to a healing spell. Ken couldn’t help but sigh in relief as warmth suddenly spread throughout his body and all his various aches and pains from their brief fight disappeared in its wake. 

“Just to be clear, I still don’t appreciate your insults about Ran.” Yohji said casually as he turned the healing spell onto himself. 

Ken remained motionless kneeling by the broken table as Yohji walked past him to leave the kitchen, saying, “I can understand how our relationship seem like from your point of view but you should never judge a book by its cover.” 

Yohji paused at the doorway and tossed back the parting shot. “You, of all people, should know how dangerous that is. Ne, Ken?” 

Alone in the kitchen, Ken slammed his fist against the floor. “Kuso!” 

An enemy is an enemy, no matter how much you try to deny it. Nothing good can come from defying Fates. Damn it, Yohji! Why can’t you see that? 

________________________________________

**Chapter Eighteen**

“That’s a good boy,” Takatori murmured as he took the cell phone from Ran’s unresisting hand. “It wasn’t so difficult to see how hopeless your situation is, isn’t it? For all his strength and your power, both of you can’t go against me and hope to win.” 

Ran remained where he was, slumped on his knees on the floor, head bowed and silent. Pained amethyst eyes fixed on his hands in his lap. He couldn’t help remembering how his pale hands had held Yohji’s last night, how much of his love he had told his lover through his touches and caresses, how much Yohji had cherished those gestures of his. 

By tomorrow’s dawn, he would never feel that comforting warmth again. 

A hand gripped Ran by his chin and lower jaw, forcing him to lift his head. He went rigid when lips pressed against his, hard and bruising, teeth and tongue forcing his mouth to open. 

The forceful invasion broke his paralysis. “Don’t touch me!” 

Something broke within Ran, a dam he never even knew that was there, changing the despair he felt into hatred and desperate defiance. 

Ran fought back, arms reaching up to push Takatori away as he tore his mouth away. In a fit of frenzied fury, he struggled to break free, kicking and hitting any part of the man he loathed with every fiber of his being. After Yohji’s tenderness, he didn’t want this slime of a man to touch him. He would stay with Takatori because of Aya-chan but he would not let this man touch him again! He was stronger than Takatori. He could enforce this point with his power but in his hysterics, Ran forgot one very important detail. 

“Desist!” 

Ran gasped as the full force of Takatori’s will came crashing upon him and crushed the resistance from his body. His struggles ceased abruptly, body and limbs going slack as Takatori pushed him down against the floor. Despite his best efforts, his body remained limp and unresisting. Ran could not even make a finger twitch. He glared up at Takatori, trying to cover his revulsion with anger. “Isn’t it enough that you want me to kill him with my own hands?” 

“Rebellious slut. Your punishment isn’t over yet,” Takatori snarled. 

With both hands, he tore open Ran’s T-shirt. 

Ran gritted his teeth as those disgusting hands roamed freely over his naked torso, making his skin crawl with revulsion. He couldn’t even avert his head or close his eyes. Takatori’s will pressing down upon his ensured he would see every bit of his rape. 

“You are mine.” Takatori roughly jerked Ran’s jeans and underwear down to his ankles. 

Ran cried out in pain as a finger shoved into his tight unprepared channel. It hurt, oh god, it hurt so much, like a hot spoke splitting him open, making his insides burn. The finger twisted cruelly, milking pain from every move, forcing its way deeper inside. Tears fell as he raged helplessly against the violation; he couldn’t fight back, couldn’t even do anything to impend Takatori’s way. 

All he could do was to lie there and seethe. 

“Every part of this body belongs to me. All your power belongs to me. You are mine to do as I please until I say otherwise.” Takatori growled. He roughly removed his finger, pulling another cry of pain from his Gem, and moved to lie over and between the pale legs. “I will not let another man lay his claim on you.” 

Amethyst eyes, glittering with tears and hatred, glared up at him. 

“I hate you,” Ran hissed. “I look forward to your downfall, Takatori. When that day comes, I will be the one to plunge my katana deep into your black heart!” 

“That day will never come.” 

Ran barely held back the scream when Takatori thrust into him in a painful searing move. He bit his lower lip so hard that he drew blood as Takatori pounded into him at a cruel pace. He fixed his eyes to the ceiling, trying his best to block out the agony, the sounds of Takatori using him, trying to ignore the hot fetid breaths burning his skin. He needed his icy shields, the ability to blank out his mind every time Takatori had taken him in the past. But it was not there. Where were his defenses when he needed it the most? Under this brutal onslaught, his newly discovered spark of defiance and fury wavered and died out; extinguished by the black sea of hopeless despair that pulled him under again. 

Finally, Ran felt the release of liquid heat that signaled the end of his ordeal. The twinge of pain when Takatori pulled out from him was barely registered. Amethyst eyes turned unwillingly to Takatori as the man gripped his chin again. 

“I know how much your sister mean to you, Ran. Believe me when I say there are many ways of torturing her without causing her death. You wouldn’t want that to happen now, would you?” 

Takatori licked Ran’s bloody lips. 

“Kill that man and submit to me. And she would never have to feel pain.” He rose to his feet, adjusting his clothes. With a quick gesture, he activated the wards about the room. “You will be kept in your room until tonight. Don’t try to escape. The wards will prevent it.” 

Ran lay motionless as Takatori finally left his room, sealing him within the four walls. It was a long while before the influence of Takatori’s will dissipated enough for him to try to move, even longer before he could move. 

Agonizingly slow, he sat up, shifting his weight to his side to avoid putting pressure on his abused bottom. The corners of his lips curled in revulsion when he spied the mess of white fluid and blood trickling down his thighs. He had never enjoyed sex with Takatori but this – it had been some years since the last time he was treated so badly. 

With trembling hands, he pulled up his jeans, hiding the incriminating sight from view. Then he curled up into a fetal position on the floor, hugging himself tightly. He craved a bath. There was nothing more he wanted now than to wash the filth off him, but first he had to wait for his wounds to heal first. Already he could feel the tingling in his flesh that signaled the onset of his healing ability. 

Soon, he would be as good as new – if he could just stop shaking. 

* * *

“Takatori-sama,” the butler bowed. “There are two men who are here to see you.” He held out the name card. 

Takatori raised a brow when he saw the name card. Without a further word, he changed direction and walked swiftly to the hall of his mansion. 

“Good morning, Herr Takatori.” Schuldich bowed in greeting. “I hope we did not wake you too early.” 

“No, not at all. What brings Schwartz to my home without prior notice?” 

“Oracle sent us here, Herr Takatori, to offer what services we can. He is most concerned about the blood pact.” 

“Did he have a vision that say otherwise?” 

Schuldich shrugged. “Who knows? Even I don’t know what goes through his mind.” 

“Sou ka. Very well, I could use your kind of services, starting right now.” Takatori turned to leave. “Stay for breakfast and we will talk more about your assignment.” 

“Ja.” 

Takatori paused, doing a double take at the scene outside the window. “What’s this?” 

Schuldich cocked his head in bemusement. “It’s snow.” 

“Yes, I know that. But in June?” Takatori frowned at the aberrant weather phenomenon, a tendril of unease stirring within him. 

Farfarello regarded the snow coolly. “Snow in June hurts God.”

* * *

“Ken-kun! Yohji-kun!” 

Within minutes, both men burst into the shop through the back door, Ken with his claws unsheathed and Yohji primed to cast an attack spell. They stumbled to a stop, looking confusedly around at the empty and closed shop, only to find Omi staring out of the windows. There was a frightened expression on the young blond’s face, a look they found just as alien as the angry scowl directed their way earlier. 

“Wha-?” Ken looked around confusedly. “Omi, what’s going on?” 

“Look!” Omi pointed a trembling finger at the window outside. 

For a moment, neither man could comprehend what they were seeing. Then it hit them. 

“Snow?” Ken said incredulously. He walked closer to the window, staring up at the gray overcast sky. “We’re having snow in June?” 

“Talk about freak weather,” Yohji remarked. 

“It’s a bad omen,” Omi said, his face pale and frightened. “A sign of disaster to come.” 

“I don’t get it,” Ken confessed. “It’s just the weather.” 

“It’s an omen in the Chinese Discipline,” Yohji explained. “A belief, a superstition. They say snow in June is a harbinger for disaster and doom.” 

“You don’t really believe that, do you?” Ken asked Omi. 

“I don’t! But to see it happen, it just freak me out.” 

“Pay it no attention,” Yohji said crisply. “It’s just a freak phenomenon, that’s all.” 

“But Yohji-kun -” 

“Listen to me, Omittchi. We have enough to worry about without adding this to it. Now go back to your job. We’re running out of time.” 

His face still showing his doubts, Omi headed back to the mission room, with Ken following behind. 

Alone, it was Yohji’s turn to look up at the sky with a troubled expression. Snow in June…does it have anything to do with Ran?

* * *

For the entire day, snow fell heavily over the city of Magnopolis, throwing the orderly routines of people living there into chaos. Public transports were disrupted, accidents occurred, hospitals saw an increase of people suffering from frostbites and other forms of ailments normally associated with winter. The number of homeless people freezing to death in the cold was undetermined. 

Techno-Mages all over Magnopolis regarded the phenomenon with unease and trepidation. Snow in June was not natural and they were unable to determine why and how it was happening. Speculations ran rife, ranging from hysterical doomsday predictions to claims of a well-played prank. Weather experts were consulted, but no one could explain the phenomenon. 

Among the rumors, not a few pointed to Takatori’s Gem as the source. 

If Ran knew he was being fingered for the abnormal weather, he was at a loss to explain. Neither did he care. He stood under the shower, letting the scalding hot water poured over his body, oblivious to the world outside as he tried to steel himself for a sin he never wanted to commit.  
At Kritiker & Co’s headquarters, Persia stared expressionlessly at the falling snow, neither surprised nor shocked at the phenomenon. He had been expecting the sign. 

In his office, Crawford smiled. Another event that came true, bringing the future he worked so hard for closer to realization. 

Soon…very soon now…

________________________________________

**Chapter Nineteen**

By the time night fell, Magnopolis was covered in three feet worth of snow. The temperature had dropped drastically, smothering the summer heat with the icy chill of winter. 

Balinese was forced to put aside his usual high-collared trench coat with the white crosses on the sleeves. Instead, he put on a thicker black coat, similar to his trench coat but with a red cross on its back instead. Dressed and armed, he left his room. 

Both Ken and Omi were already waiting for him in the garage, both dressed in their assassin gear. 

“Ready?” he asked. 

They nodded. 

“No heroics. Don’t draw attention to yourself. Just get her and return here straight away. And don’t let your guard down for even a minute. I won’t put it past Takatori to have her watched.” 

“Don’t worry about us, Yohji-kun.” Omi grinned at him. “We’ll be back before you know it.” 

“Just worry about your end,” Ken added. 

“I think I got the easy part of the mission,” Yohji grumbled. “I really shouldn’t be dragging you guys into this.” 

“It’s a bit late for that now, don’t you think?” Ken said pointedly as he climbed into the non-descriptive car Omi had somehow procured for the mission. 

“And beside, we can’t let you have all the fun,” Omi quipped. 

Yohji sighed. “Why are you so genki?” 

“It’s just me.” Omi winked at him.

* * *

It was still snowing when Yohji arrived at the abandoned fairground. His booted feet sank slightly into the snow-covered ground as he got out of the Seven and made his way deeper into the deserted fairground. It was dark but the moonlight reflecting off the crystal-white snow gave him enough illumination to see where he was going. 

He stopped walking when he reached the open space before the carousel. There was no one about, as far as he could determine. If Ran came alone, it would make his job so much – 

Yohji turned, sensing that he was no longer alone. 

From out of the darkness, a white-clad figure walked towards him. Soon Yohji could see it was Ran, dressed in a white trench coat that gleamed like the snow. He couldn’t help but inhale sharply. 

Red hair leached to a dusky pink by the silvery light, alabaster skin set aglow and eyes hard and cold like amethyst, Ran reminded Yohji forcibly of their first encounter in the snowy wilderness. Under the moonlight and the reflective glow of the snow, Ran was beautiful and deadly, like a sharp bright blade chilled by ice. 

His redhead lover stopped a distance away from him. “You came,” Ran said in a cold voice. “I was hoping you wouldn’t.” 

“There was no way I could turn this down in good conscience,” Yohji replied. “We both know what will happen.” 

“So we did.” The coldness in those amethyst eyes softened. 

In a heartbeat, the lovers had closed the distance and embraced each other. 

Ran clung to Yohji tightly. Now that he was here, all his resolve to see this through vanished like a mist. He couldn’t do it. Yohji’s touch was clean and pure, ridding him of the shadow sensation of Takatori’s abuse. How could he hurt the man who could chase his demons away with just his touch? Kill this man who willingly risks his life to love Ran? 

“Did he hurt you?” Yohji muttered against the red silk of Ran’s hair. Ran did not say anything; just bury his face deeper into Yohi’s neck. It was all the answer Yohji needed. 

“He did, didn’t he?” he growled, upset. “What did he do to you?” 

“Nothing that hurt for very long,” Ran replied evasively. 

Yohji pulled back a little to look at him. Ran couldn’t meet his eyes. He was so tense in Yohji’s arms, almost like a string stretched taunt and might snap at any moment. 

“Tell me?” Yohji asked gently. 

“He…he…” In the end, Ran gave up in defeat and burrowed deeper into Yohji’s embrace. He just couldn’t bring himself to say that word. “I couldn’t do anything to stop him,” he said instead, close to tears. 

Yohji involuntarily tightened his grip around the smaller man, needing no further elaboration. Rage burned deep within him, coiling together with the knot of pain. How dare he? How dare Takatori sullied this precious creature? 

“Come with me,” he told Ran, planting a kiss on the top of his silky head. “Come with me, Ran.” 

Amethyst eyes peered up at him, confused and with a dawning hope. 

“You don’t have to suffer anymore. Leave with me. Weiss will shelter you from Takatori. And if we work together, we can free you from that bastard.” 

“But my sister -” 

“Siberian and Bombay are rescuing her even as we speak.”

* * *

It was probably the easiest rescue mission Weiss had ever handled. They had reached the hospital and in under an hour, spirited the comatose body of Aya Fujimiya away from her ward, leaving behind an ofuda dummy in her stead. It would be hours before the spell wear off. By then, hopefully, they would have gotten both siblings under Kritiker’s protection. 

They detected no signs of pursuit as they hastened back to their base of operations, which was a relief of some sort. Maybe Takatori didn’t think the girl was important enough to warrant guards. Not knowing where else to put her, they placed Aya in Yohji’s bed. 

Omi sat down beside the occupied bed with a sigh. “Now that’s done, all we have to do now is wait for Yohji to come back with the Blood Diamond.” 

“I still think it was too easy,” Ken insisted. 

“Possibly, but let’s not look a horse gift in the mouth, eh?” 

//You should listen to your friend, boy.// 

Alarmed, Omi leapt to his feet, whipping out his ofuda. Beside him, Ken suddenly lowered into a crouch, claws unsheathing. “Who’s there?!” the young assassin demanded. 

Laughter drifted into the room. The glass in the window suddenly slammed open and a figure dressed in green swung fluidly into the room. 

Bombay’s eyes widened when he saw the intruder, recognizing him at once. “Schuldich!” 

Schuldich grinned. “I’m honored. You actually know my name. Who might you be, Weiss?” 

“Can’t you read my mind, Mastermind?” 

“You have me at a disadvantage. Minds of Techno-Mages are so hard to penetrate.” 

“What do you want? Weiss has no quarrel with Schwartz.” 

Schuldich wagged a finger at him. “Don’t bet on it. We’re here to retrieve the girl.” 

“What? You’re not touching her!” Omi let fly the ofuda bolt. To his astonishment, Schuldich easily ducked the ofuda bolt with an unnatural speed. 

“You got to do better than that,” the telepath taunted. 

“Bombay, down!” Siberian roared suddenly. 

Reflexes honed from past experiences, Omi dropped to the floor at once as Ken leapt over him and blocked the knife stroke with his gloved arm. For a relieved moment, Ken silently gave thanks to his friend for making the protective gloves for his arms. Then there was no more time to think as he launched his own attack, slashing at Berserker with his claws. Several times, he drew blood, claws digging painfully into the white albino flesh. But Berserker simply smiled at him and retaliated, feeling absolutely no pain from those wounds. Siberian dodged another knife blow and threw Berserker through the door and into the hallway. Pressing his advantage, he followed. 

While Siberian was busy fighting with Berserker, Bombay lunged forward, hitting Schuldich with a spell to get him away from Aya-chan. This time, his aim found its mark, grazing Schuldich’s hand. The young assassin knelt on the bed beside Aya-chan, another ofuda held aloft and glowing with a baleful light. 

“You’re not taking her away,” Bombay said determinedly. “Go back and tell Takatori she’s no longer his hostage.” 

Schuldich licked the blood from the bleeding cut, eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don’t underestimate me, boy.”

* * *

Ran stared at Yohji in astonishment. 

“She will be protected by Weiss and if we let Persia know, I’m sure Kritiker can protect her from Takatori.” Yohji continued. “Aya will be safe and you will have nothing to worry about. Nothing to tie you to him.” 

“Really?” Ran murmured. “Aya…You are freeing Aya from him?” 

“I’m not lying, Ran. We’re doing everything we can to get you and your sister out.” 

“I believe you,” Ran said. “But I can’t believe Takatori would just let all this happen without doing anything.” 

“He may be powerful but he’s not omnipotent.” Yohji embraced the smaller man again. “I keep my promises, Ran. Come with me. Everything will be fine.” 

“I…” 

“Don’t bother to think twice. I’m taking you with me even if you say no.” Yohji cupped the pale face of his lover in his gloved hands. “I won’t let you go back to him, so he can hurt you even further. Please, Ran, come -” 

“Hai,” the soft agreement cut Yohji off in mid-sentence. Ran put his arms around Yohji’s neck, tugging his head lower. “I’ll come with you,” he said before kissing his lover. 

Yohji returned the kiss, overjoyed with Ran’s agreement. Things might just turn out fine after all. 

“Aw, how sweet.” The sarcastic voice shattered the moment. 

The lovers pulled apart swiftly, tensing when they saw the figure clad in a long green jacket lounging against a carousel pole. 

“Schwartz,” Yohji spat suddenly. 

“Good to see you again, Herr Shinichiro.” 

“What do you want now?” 

“I’m here to rein in the wayward Gem, that’s all.” 

Yohji took a step forward and to the side, shielding Ran from the carrot-haired German. “He’s coming with me. Nothing you say is going to convince him otherwise.” 

“Don’t be too sure,” Schuldich smirked. “Farfarello!” 

The lovers watched warily as Farfarello stepped into the light, carrying a slight limp bundle in his arms. 

Ran suddenly let out a wild cry and lunged forward. “Aya!” 

“Ran, matte!” Yohji yanked the redhead back. 

“Let me go, Yohji! They have Aya!” Ran glared at the two Schwartz. “If you hurt her, I swear I will kill you.” 

“Hurting her is the last thing on our agenda, pretty.” Schuldich fingered one of Aya-chan’s long black braids. “She is our insurance for your good behavior.” 

“What did you do to my friends?” Yohji demanded in a low dangerous voice. 

Schuldich’s smirk turned cruel. “I’m afraid your friends are in no position to help you now.” 

Yohji’s heart skipped a beat. “You…son of a bitch!” 

“Thank you. Well, time for us to go.” Schuldich announced casually, as though kidnapping people was an everyday business for him. “Time to return this comatose princess to Takatori. We’ll be waiting for your good news, pretty.” 

Both Ran and Yohji could only watch helplessly as Schuldich and Farfarello disappeared into the night, taking Aya-chan along with them. 

Despairing amethyst gaze turned to meet pain-filled green. There was no longer any way out of this and they both knew it. 

Yohji bent to kiss Ran, a long sweet kiss that the redhead returned with desperate ardor. “Promise me you’ll stay strong,” Yohji whispered in between frantic kisses. 

“I will,” Ran promised. “Don’t make this easy for me, Yohji.” 

“…All right.” 

One last greedy kiss and they parted, reluctantly, unwilling. 

With a deep breath to steel himself, Yohji forced himself to be calm, to view this like any other mission. His watch thrummed as he invoked magic, muttering a long complicated spell to begin his attack. Across, Ran ignored the agony twisting within him. He summoned his katana to him and unsheathed the blade, readying himself for battle. 

Snow fell, drifting lazily down upon the two reluctant combatants. 

Then, at an unseen signal, the battle began.

* * *

“Omi.” Ken shook the young assassin’s shoulder. “Get up, Omi. I need you on your feet. Now.” 

Omi let out a moan as his eyes fluttered open. “Ken?” 

“I’m right here.” 

Slowly, painfully, Omi got up from where he was sprawled. His head throbbed fiercely, a result from Schuldich’s vicious mind blast. “Oww…I don’t believe the telepath got the drop on me.” 

“We got to go, Omi.” Ken climbed to his feet with obvious effort, battered and hurting as well from his fight with the Berserker. It had been a hell of a vicious fight for him. Blood stained his arms, from his claws all the way to his shoulders. And numerous wounds decorated the rest of his body. “They took the girl and then that telepath said something about the blond lover paying the price.” Ken made his way across the wrecked room, half-staggering in pain. “Yohji…we have to go help Yohji.” 

Ken staggered again and almost fell if not for Omi propping him up. 

“Let’s go,” Omi said through gritted teeth. 

Together they staggered out of Yohji’s room and headed down to the garage, praying they would get there in time to help their friend. 

* * *

Flashes of light lit up the night sky. The sounds of explosions and other strange noises shattered the quietness. Remarkably, no one had alerted the authorities yet to the magical battle being waged in the fairground. Or perhaps no one wanted to go near to the battleground. A mage battle was always terrifying in the sheer power department. 

Half of the fairground had been razed to the ground, destroyed by the awesome forces being unleashed. Many of the abandoned rides were charred and burned with strange-colored fire. The ground was cracked and snow had melted in areas where craters had been formed. 

Yohji was bleeding quite severely and he was sure he had broken something as well. He had no time to check; the pace of the battle had been relentless and unforgiving. His shades had been the first casualty and his black trench coat was heavily damaged, torn and burnt in numerous places. About his wrist, his watch was a constant burning presence, almost on the verge of overheating from the massive strain of the battle. 

Across from him, Ran suffered no less as well. Bloody scratches marred his elegant face and all over his body. His clothes were either tore or burned as well in several places. He had discarded his white coat long ago; the material consumed by mage fire. His katana was bloody and notched in several places, but it still gleamed with an unwavering silver light. 

It had been a fierce battle. 

For the first time, Yohji was able to truly appreciate Ran’s fighting ability. It had taken everything he had to keep the Gem at bay. It wasn’t just a matter of power but also of skill. Despite it being a contradiction for his gentle nature, Ran was born to fight. 

Yohji knew full well he would not be able to stand up to the Gem for much longer. He was on his last leg, all his reserves emptied and spent. The next attack would be his last and final one because there was just no way he could hold out against it. 

Ran raised his katana, channeling his power into the blade. A wind stirred at his feet, spiraling about him in ever-widening circles. Amethyst eyes remained hard and resolute but his clenched jaws betrayed his emotions. He knew just how badly injured Yohji was and a part of him was railing against the cruelty of it all. 

Yohji raised his arm. His watch glowed and a ball of light coalesced in his hand. Bringing it close to his body, Yohji sprang forward with a yell at the same time Ran launched his own attack. 

Blinding white light and a deafening explosion rocked the night as their powers collided and sent out shockwaves, shattering the ground and structures around them. 

When the aftermath cleared, amethyst eyes suddenly widened and lost their icy hardness. 

Ran stared with disbelieving eyes at his katana buried up to the hilt in Yohji’s torso. Behind the lanky body, he could just catch a glimpse of the bloody blade protruding from Yohji’s back. 

Slowly, his gaze traveled upwards. 

Verdant-green eyes, dulled with pain, looked down calmly at him. 

Yohji’s calm expression suddenly twisted as he suddenly coughed up blood, the warm crimson liquid splattering across Ran’s upturned face. With a faint ghost of his once vibrant smile curving his bloodstained lips, Yohji weakly stretched out a bloodied and violently shaking hand to touch Ran’s pale cheek. 

“Aishiteru,” Yohji whispered. 

Then the green eyes closed and with a sigh, Yohji fell. 

Ran crumpled under the weight and remained where he collapsed, staring blankly at nothing as he automatically cradled the limp body close to him. Tiny rapid gasps escaped him but that was all the sounds he made. 

He did not react when someone pulled Yohji from his arms, did not even see the furious young man standing over him, one clawed hand raised threateningly. 

Something was churning within him, screaming and clawing to get out. 

Then he was alone and the sheer emptiness around him was the last straw. 

Ran screamed.

________________________________________

**Interlude**

Dark…cold… 

Dream? 

Uncomfortable…bindings…can’t… 

Hate it…want to…free…wake up… 

Niisan…where?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sweatdrop* Don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me. Things will have to get worse before getting better, right? *double sweatdrop* This is not the end yet! I promise!  
> *shuffles her feet* Um…is it too much to ask for reviews?


	4. Tsukiyono - 20 to 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow in June heralds the coming of disaster. Takatori’s manipulations do not end with Yohji’s death. The blood pact with Estet is about to be fulfilled and the Blood Diamond plays a key role. But Ran is too grief-stricken to care about his fate. If only Yohji is still alive…if only… (YohjixRan, TakatorixRan.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I almost turned into flame-bait with the last installment. Uploaded the Hidaka arc one afternoon, went off to work and came back to a rather big indignant outcry. Floored me, really. I’m beginning to think I have a sadistic and a masochistic streak in me. I actually got a kick out of reading those anguished reviews *duck flying objects*  
> Anyway I figure I better get down to work on this latest arc and get it up quick before I’m really flame-bait *sweatdrop…type, type, type furiously*.   
> Just a note for this installment – for the sake of this AU, Omi is not related to Reiji Takatori. For that matter, Persia is not Shuuichi Takatori either. He still keeps his name ‘Shuuichi’ though.

** Tsukiyono **

Mamoru had a secret, one he kept to himself since he was five. He dared not tell anyone, not to his friends and parents or even his two older brothers. You see Mamoru was born with the talent of a mage. And in a wealthy but very traditional family that loathed magic, young Mamoru was smart enough to know revealing his talent would be a sure way of inviting trouble.

So Mamoru knew all about keeping secrets and the stress that came with it. He could sympathize with people burdened with secrets.

One day, Mamoru went to the mall with his mama. When they were ready to leave for home, some bad men accosted them in the parking lot. The bad men began to harass them, trying to drag them off to somewhere. And Mamoru, terrified and not comprehending what was happening, panicked. He felt a gust of…something leaving him. It knocked the men bullying his mama off their feet, freeing her, but it did not stop the bad men from taking him away from his mama.

Only much later in his life would he understand he had been kidnapped for ransom. But at that time, what was happening to him was a nightmare beyond his comprehension.

For many days, he was kept in a dirty room. Where he was and how long he stayed there, he did not know. All he knew was he was frightened, cold, hungry and far, far from his family, surrounded by loud and coarse strangers. He couldn’t stop crying, wishing he was back home, with his papa and mama.

“Papa, help!” he cried into the cell phone his kidnappers held to his face. “I’m scared, Papa. Help!”

“Do you hear that?” one of the kidnappers said. “One million isn’t very much to ask for.”

A loud angry voice erupted from the cell phone. “I don’t care how much you want! I will not pay a single cent! Do whatever you like with the boy. He is no longer my son!”

“Papa? Papa, help!” Mamoru wept. Why won’t his papa rescue him?

“Quit your crying, boy.” The kidnapper tossed the cell phone aside. “Your papa is not coming to rescue you.”

“You’re kidding,” another kidnapped said incredulously.

“No,” replied the first sourly. “What a waste of effort.”

“That’s cruel. So what are we going to do now?”

The first kidnapper loomed over the frightened boy. “He’s of no more use to us alive.”

Mamoru stared up at his kidnapper, confused and terrified. He didn’t understand why his papa refused to rescue him. He badly needed his papa to save him but why won’t he?

“Poor kid,” the first kidnapper grinned sadistically at him. “That’s some cold-hearted bastard you got for a father. Even my pop wasn’t that bad.” He bent and grabbed the sobbing boy by his hair. “Say bye-bye, kid.”

The naked light bulb in the dirty room suddenly shattered, throwing the whole room into darkness. In the confusion that ensued, Mamoru felt himself being lifted. Next thing he knew, he was in the arms of someone running through the darkness. When they emerged into a brighter area, Mamoru got his first clear look of his rescuer.

It was his uncle, the one his papa never liked.

He watched with wide-eyed wonder as his uncle blew open another door with just a gesture of his hand and sprinted through. His uncle took a moment to smile reassuringly at the bewildered boy. “Don’t worry, Mamoru. I will not let you die here.”

Mamoru never expected to hear those words from this uncle he barely knew, words he had hoped to hear from his papa instead. But things seemed to be getting better and right now, that was all that mattered. 

When his uncle finally took him home, Mamoru got another shock of his life. His papa, who doted on him and never raised a hand against him, inexplicably looked at him with the same kind of dislike he gave to Mamoru’s uncle. 

“Mages are all evil,” his papa had declared ominously. “Nothing good will ever come from raising one.”

“He is your son, oniisan!” His uncle protested furiously. “Your own flesh and blood. How can you turn your back on him just like that?”

“A spawn of magic is no son of mine! Mages are not tolerated in this family as long as I’m alive! Get out! And take him with you!”

“Oniisan!”

“My family will never have a Mage! Go and don’t ever let me see your faces again!”

Infuriated with Mamoru’s father’s bigoted attitude, Mamoru’s uncle had little choice but to take the traumatized boy with him. Stunned and upset, Mamoru meekly let his uncle guide him to the limousine. It wasn’t until they were heading for the airport before Mamoru’s uncle broke the awkward silence.

“I’m sorry, Mamoru. I really didn’t think he would be so pigheaded. I really thought once he had seen you alive and well again, he would accept you even if you have the Mage talent.” His uncle sighed tiredly. “It’s a good thing I flew out here when I heard about your kidnapping. I never thought he would be so…cruel.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, Mamoru.”

“But he’s my papa, right?” Mamoru searched his uncle’s face beseechingly. “He loves me, right?”

His uncle smiled sadly. “Mamoru, I can’t say if he really loves you or not. All I know is that sometimes when someone hates a thing too much, not even love can change it.”

Mamoru didn’t understand that. He didn’t understand how his father could turn from loving him to hating him in a blink of an eye. Love was love, right?

Frightened and feeling utterly abandoned, Mamoru curled into a tight ball, hiding his face in his arms. Shivers wrecked his small body and he began to sniffle, trying to hold his tears back. Moments later, he felt a reassuring warmth enveloping him and he turned blindly to bury his face in his uncle’s chest. His sniffles turned into sobs, sobs into a full-blown crying fit. He clung to his uncle, drenching the front of his uncle’s suit as he cried out his heartache.

“Ssh,” his uncle soothed. “Everything will be fine. I will take care of you. You have my promise, or my name is not Persia.”

Mamoru was only eight at that time.

To keep him safe from his enemies, Persia kept his adoption of Mamoru a secret like he did with his other ward. He also made certain his nephew received the best kind of life he could give and sent Mamoru to the best mage school when he grew older. After realizing that Mamoru was also a Jack-of-all-Trades, Persia was adamant in letting Mamoru learn whatever skills he was interested in. 

By the time Mamoru was twelve, he was a Class-C Techno-Mage and an expert computer hacker. But no matter how skilled and good he was, Mamoru never forgot about his father’s betrayal. Beneath his cheerful and contented front laid a flinty determination never to let anyone else suffer the same way as he did. 

But how was he going to go about it?

One night, unable to sleep, Mamoru got up for a glass of milk. He noticed light coming from beneath the door of his uncle’s study and the sounds of two voices speaking. Curious, he tiptoed to the door to eavesdrop.

“- What vague hints are you sprouting now, Botan?”

“I can’t help it if it comes out vague and generic,” a second voice said defensively.

“Can you do any better than that?” Persia asked.

“Well…I can’t shake the feeling that it’s going to happen quite soon and it’s likely to involve some underground syndicate. Other than that…”

“It’s better than nothing, I suppose.” Persia sighed. “I have already gathered the first two. What will happen if I gather the third one?”

A long moment of silence.

The hairs on the back of Mamoru’s neck raised when he heard the second man spoke again, but this time in a flat eerie monotone, “When snow falls in summer, changes will transform the world.”

“For good or for bad?” Persia questioned.

“Eh? What?” Botan replied normally again. “Oh, I said something again, didn’t I?”

“Never mind. Here, take a look at this. It’s something I’ve been planning for some time.”

“Weiss, eh?” Silence again, then Botan said sharply, “You’re kidding, right?”

“No.”

“Are you crazy? You can’t just put together your own hit squad.”

“Why not? Magnopolis’ justice system has been severely compromised. I do what I can on that front but there are many criminals who got away scot-free because so many judges and juries are corrupted.” 

“So you decide to be the judge and the executioner.”

“No, just the judge. Weiss are my assassins.” Mamoru’s heartbeat picked up when he heard that word. “Weiss’s targets will be those the law cannot touch, the monsters who hid in the safety of the darkness.”

“And any other ‘obstacles’ that stand in the way of Kritiker’s goal as well, am I right?”

“That can’t be helped, Botan, and you know it. I have both the Estet and Takatori to worry about as well.”

Botan sighed. “I suppose your mind is all made up.”

“Yes.”

At that point, his mind in turmoil over what he overheard, Mamoru decided to beat a hasty retreat. He crept back up to his bed and spent a sleepless night, turning the conversation over in his mind. 

He couldn’t believe his uncle would dare to take such a big risk. He might be young but Mamoru was not ignorant of the happenings around him. He knew exactly just how influential and powerful a man his uncle was. For a man of his social stature to be involved in the assassin game, when words of it get out, it would be more than just a scandal. Persia’s entire life would be ruined and his enemies would spare no efforts to hunt down the man they would deem responsible for their failures to undermine the city’s stability.

It was very risky, very dangerous and extremely pragmatic.

Mamoru had always wanted to be like his uncle, using his talents and resources to help others. This Weiss…it might just be the solution he was looking for.

The very next day, when Mamoru joined Persia for breakfast, he told his uncle, “I want to join Weiss.”

Startled, Persia gaped at the young boy. He quickly recovered and said, “You were eavesdropping on us last night.”

Mamoru nodded. “I’m sorry for eavesdropping, uncle. But I couldn’t help it.”

“Then you must know what Weiss is all about.”

“Yes. They are the executioners of the monsters the law cannot touch.”

“No, Mamoru. If you have overheard us last night, then you should know Weiss is not created just for the sake of the righteous,” Persia said gravely. “Weiss are only murderers, with very specific victims. Forget Weiss, Mamoru. You are too young and idealistic. The life of an assassin will crush your spirit in very little time.”

“No,” Mamoru replied softly. “I think I know what I’m getting into. You can’t shield me forever from the dark side of humanity. I already got a taste of that, remember?”

Mamoru gazed evenly at his uncle. “I think I’m more than qualified to join Weiss. Where else are you going to find a Techno-Mage who is also a Jack?”

“I never mean to shield you forever,” Persia said. “Truth be told, I want you to be the next Persia.”

“Then what better way for me to get involved than carrying out field operations?” 

“You are a twelve-year-old boy who should be enjoying life, not taking it.”

“Uncle, I haven’t been a boy since Papa betrayed me.”

Persia did not know what to say to that.

“Uncle, please.”

“Think about it first,” Persia replied shortly. “Then give me your answer a week later.”

In the end, Mamoru’s answer was still the same. He was fiercely determined to stop monsters preying on the innocents and nothing Persia said was going to deter him.

Realizing this, Persia acquiesced reluctantly but with several conditions.

Mamoru must ‘die’. He would be Omi Tsukiyono, an orphan with two guardians who just happened to be his fellow assassins as well and inflicted with supposed amnesia. No one, not even his fellow assassins must know of his relation with Persia, to protect his team. 

Mamoru agreed readily to the conditions. He was so used to keeping secrets that it no longer matter to him. He only hoped the other Weiss assassins could accept him as one of them and as their mission leader despite his age. 

When Mamoru, or rather Omi, finally met his fellow assassins, he saw at once both men carried their own burdens and secrets. Something in each man’s past had drove them to join Weiss, to choose to be a ‘ghost’ among the living, something that haunted them like his own past haunted him.

He never asked, never pressed. Their secrets were their own and Omi respected that. But knowing what he knew about keeping secrets, it certainly made it easier to relate to them. It was, he believed, the one common bond they shared and who knows, it might lead to stronger relationships between the three of them.

He was right.

For the first time, Omi truly found a place he could call his own. A small pseudo-family tied together by past pain, death and guilt. Omi was happy where he was and he would do anything to help his family, to be there for them.

After all, isn’t that what family is all about?

________________________________________

**Chapter Twenty**

Beep…beep…beep…

The room was quiet like a tomb, with only the steady beeping of the medical monitoring device to keep him company. It was bright in this windowless white room, stark white light bouncing off white walls and white sheets, casting everything in shadowless light. In this white environment, he stood out like a black wound, clad entirely in black from head to toes and his hair was a vivid bleeding hue.

Beep…beep…beep…

He sat beside his comatose sister, watching her serene sleeping face. He hadn’t moved since they imprisoned him in this room, hadn’t spoken a word during his motionless watch. There was no one else he wanted to speak to; the only two persons were either dead or in a coma. No one would listen to him anymore, so what was the point of talking?

Beep…beep…beep…

He didn’t know how long he was imprisoned in here. It could be days or weeks, he no longer care. They had sealed him in here with his sister and left him there, and he had no desire to even try to escape. He could still feel his blood on his hands though he was clean; still see his death every time he closed his eyes.

Some people would call his condition ‘post-traumatic stress’. 

He called it reality check. 

He was empty, hollow, beyond despair and tears. He cared for nothing and no one anymore, save for the young girl he was watching over. He had promised to be strong but he could not find it in himself the strength to even react to anything. It was curiously peaceful – this numbness pervading his being. Like just drifting along on the currents, unconcerned and apathetic, content to just leave his destiny to fate. 

Ran had simply stopped living. 

He wasn’t supposed to live anyway, he finally understood now. He was only meant to exist, to be a living passive avatar of power for his master, nothing more and nothing less. If only he had realized that long ago, then perhaps Yohji wouldn’t have to die.

Now, the only thing that still kept him going was his sister. She was the only thing that anchored him to this existence. 

Sometimes, he could almost hate her, for what he had to do to protect her. But when he looked upon her innocent face, an outpouring of love filled his heart. It was funny how he could still feel that particular emotion. He could never hate her; he loved her too much, sacrificed too much for her well being. She was his only tie to his past, the one link he could not dispose of. She was his Holy Grail and his Hell. For Aya-chan’s sake, everything can be done - even killing the man he loved.

Ran felt like the monster he was. He had always known that but it took some time for his heart to catch up with his mind. A Gem was cursed, destined to bring misfortunes to all, and he was no different.

In the end, he was reviled and alone.

* * *

In the observation lounge, Crawford and Schuldich looked down into the windowless room where the two siblings were imprisoned. 

//Pretty, isn’t he?// Schuldich remarked. //And hurting so bad I get a kick out of watching him.//

//How long has he been like this?// Crawford asked Schuldich.

//Ever since he came back from killing his lover. He’ll be docile and easy to manage.//

//Docile? More like he has almost given up.// 

//You don’t like his current condition?//

//I want docile and whole, not broken. Which he is very close to becoming.// 

Arms folded across his chest, Crawford closed his eyes and allowed the visions to flood his mind again. Curious, Schuldich carefully reached out to lightly probe his leader’s mind and met the usual wall.

“Stop that,” Crawford said crisply without opening his eyes.

“I didn’t probe that hard.”

“No. But I know you well enough to guess what you will do.”

“Guilty as charged,” Schuldich replied lightly. //So is everything going according to your vision?//

//You know I won’t answer that.//

Schuldich chuckled. //I had to ask.//

They lapsed into silence again, Crawford contemplative and Schuldich waiting as patiently as he could. It was almost five minutes before Crawford stirred back to awareness. Without another word, he walked out of the observation lounge with Schuldich following close behind.

//Where are you going?//

//Back to Estet HQ. The Elders are due to arrive this evening. I want you to stay here with Takatori and the Gem. Tell him you’re here as Estet representative to make sure that nothing else happen to the Blood Diamond.//

Schuldich arched a brow. //You saw something happening soon?//

Crawford smiled enigmatically. //In a manner of speaking.//

* * *

Back in the white room, unknowing and uncaring of his unseen visitors, Ran gently pried open one of Aya-chan’s small hands. He idly stroked the warm metal surface of the golden earring nestled in her palm, lost in his memories. With the same hand, he reached up to his own ear and touched his half of the pair.

_I wear this to remember my promise to you, Aya. That I will wait for the day you wake up. It’s so hard to keep that promise, after so long. But I will still wait. There is nothing left for me now._ He closed her fingers around her half of the jewelry. _Sleep well, Aya-chan._

Ran did not look up when he heard the opening of the door and the heavy tread he recognized instantly approaching him. He remained seated in his chair, unmoving, as heavy arms circled round his body, trapping him within their embrace. 

“Your devotion to your sister is admirable, Ran.” Takatori murmured close behind him.

The redhead said nothing, staring straight ahead as Takatori licked the delicate shell of his ear.

“I know you won’t rest well unless you are here by her side, so I have taken the liberty of getting a cot for you.”

The new sounds of something being pushed into the room caught Ran’s attention. He turned his head to watch, as the servants set up a narrow cot in the far corner. He felt a stir of vague surprise as a simple but nutritious meal was brought in as well.

“You see,” the hated voice spoke again softly, “I can be gentle and thoughtful.”

Without good reasons, Ran thought dourly. 

“You haven’t said a single word since you came back. I don’t like that.” The arms tightened painfully around him for an instant, then relaxed. “But that is not important now. I have an errand for you. In three days’ time, go to Estet.”

The voice lowered to a soft murmur. “Listen carefully. This is what I want you to do.” 

Even sunken in despair, Ran could not help but react to the sheer audacity of Takatori’s plan. It was crazy and too dangerous!

“Just do as I order,” Takatori continued, tightening his embrace around Ran’s tense body. “Your sister will be here waiting for your return. Carry out your errand successfully and she will stay unharmed.”

Fingers curling under the fine-boned chin, Takatori nudged Ran’s head up and to the side, and planted a possessive kiss against Ran’s unresisting lips. 

“My beautiful orchid. You are indeed one of a kind. Even if I had not made you my Gem, I would still claim you ten years ago.”

He kissed Ran again, forcing the unresponsive lips open to hungrily plunder the warm depths of the redhead’s mouth. One of his hands reached down to roughly fondle Ran’s genitals. 

“Remember, her fate is in your hands. You will do as I tell you to if you want nothing to happen to her.” 

Ran slumped back against his chair when he was released, listening to the sounds of Takatori leaving the room. Once he was alone again, he stared detachedly at the new cot and dinner. 

Slowly, he got up and walked over. 

Ignoring the cot, he took up the dinner tray and returned to his chair by his sister’s side. He hadn’t had hunger pangs since he became a Gem, but maybe…the motions of eating would help him to gather the strength to be strong.

________________________________________

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Three days later, Ran was in a helicopter flying to meet the Elders of Estet at Magnoris Inlet. He was accompanied by the Schwartz telepath who seemed to be laughing silently, constantly at him. 

Ran thoroughly hated Mastermind and resolved to ignore him as best as he could. Which was why he sat at the other end of the helicopter, as far away from the German telepath as he could possibly could in the cramped interior, looking out of the window as their destination came into view. He had never been to Magnoris Inlet, despite having lived in Magnopolis for ten years but he knew something about the location.

Magnoris Inlet was a heritage reservation, an important historical place for the city-country. It was believed that Magnoris Inlet was the spring point of Magnopolis, the place where their primitive ancestors first landed on shore after braving the dangers of the wide unknown ocean. 

Here, at Magnoris Inlet, at low tide, a narrow strip of sandbar linked the coast of the inlet to the tiny island out in the middle of the bay. It was really nothing more than a good-sized rocky formation jutting out of the ocean but deep within its caves was a natural ghetto amphitheater. The ancient ancestors of Magnopolis had treated this natural formation as sacred grounds and covered the walls of the ghetto amphitheater with paintings of strange runes and pictures. It was here the ancients held their tribal councils and other forms of important communal activities. 

Near the coast, a museum was erected about fifty years ago, dedicated to the ancient primitive ancestors who came to Magnopolis before its birth. The area was a tourist spot open to public but on this particular June day, Magnoris Inlet was closed to the public for a ‘private viewing’.

Not for the first time, Ran worried about the dangers of this errand. There were too many unknowns for Ran to be assured that the plan would work. The sheer audacity of Takatori’s plan made him uneasy and the closer the helicopter brought him to his destination, the more Ran was tempted to order the pilot to bring him back to his sister’s side. 

But he couldn’t do that. Not unless he wanted his sister to suffer for his mistakes and he was being watched by Mastermind, even though Ran was certain the German telepath could not read his mind because of his nature.

Behind his mask, Ran bit his lower lip. 

It would work out fine. Takatori should know what he was doing, being an experienced and powerful Techno-Mage. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? 

Ran got off the helicopter when it landed. Maintaining a step behind Schuldich, he walked across the landing pad to where Oracle stood waiting for him. The deafening din of the helicopter’s whirring blades made talking impossible, so Oracle simply gestured for them to follow him. 

It was when Oracle commandeered an elevator inside the museum to themselves did the American deign to break the silence. “Welcome to Magnoris Inlet. I will take you to see the Elders now. They are most eager to meet you.”

//The pretty have no idea why he’s here, Brad.// Schuldich told Crawford.

//You got that from reading his mind?//

//Can’t do that with him. I got it from glimpses into Takatori’s mind. And do you want to know what else I got from his mind?//

Crawford’s expression did not change when Schuldich told him. //Hn, that’ll make things interesting.//

//You don’t seem surprised,// Schuldich noted.

//No.// 

Schuldich gave the Gem a sidelong glance. //Poor thing,// he said without a hint of sympathy. //For all his power, he’s just a pawn.//

Ran gave no sign that he noticed Schuldich’s discreet gaze in his direction. He was sure the Schwartz was talking about him telepathically but he chose to ignore them. He was having enough trouble trying to calm his misgivings. He stared straight ahead at the closed doors of the elevators. His insides were churning and no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not rid the feeling that he was walking into the lion’s den. 

His misgivings took on a tinge of fear the moment he came face to face with the Three Elders. While Crawford was doing the introductions, it was all he could to just stand there in their presence.

To his senses, the Elders literally screamed evil with a capital E. He had never felt this much dark, corrupted power gathered within a single person, much less in three. It was so palpable that he could almost see the black aura surrounding them. Ran hadn’t sensed this black aura when he first met them on Takatori’s island; they must have concealed it somehow. But alone now, away from public eye, there was no need to conceal their power and Ran got his first frightening brush with it. Even his master’s cruelty paled in comparison to them.

“Welcome, Gem. I hope your journey was not too tiring.”

Ran shook his head, sharply and abrupt, too shaken to say a word. Suddenly, irrationally, he was grateful for the mask shielding his face from view.

“You can speak when you’re here, Gem. Takatori is not here to be offended. We would like to hear your voice for once. You seem to be ill at ease. What’s wrong?”

Ran licked suddenly dry lips. He took a deep breath and spoke in as steady a voice as he could. “Nothing is wrong.”

“Hmm…you have a lovely voice. Deep and masculine. Takatori must have enjoyed hearing your cries when he takes you in his bed.”

Ran was at a loss as to how to react to that statement.

“Take off your mask. We would like to see your face.”

Ran hesitated. Slowly, he removed his black finely carved mask, taking care to keep his expression impassive. He almost recoiled visibly when he saw the dark hunger and greedy desire in the depths of the Elders’ eyes.

“Beautiful, so very beautiful and unique. Your reputation is well-deserved, Gem.”

“Thank you,” Ran murmured uncertainly. 

“You must be wondering why we require your help. We require an external source of raw magic power for a ritual we are preparing to perform. That’s why we asked Takatori for permission to borrow you. You don’t have to know what the ritual is about but needless to say, it will be beneficial to both Estet and Takatori.”

“I…see.”

“We will be performing the ritual ceremony tonight, so I suggest you take some rest. Your role isn’t difficult; you just have to be there for us to tap your power, that’s all.”

“I understand.”

“Oracle and Mastermind will take you to the guest room now. We look forward to working with you tonight.”

Ran wasted no time putting his mask back on again, wanting a buffering layer between those hungry eyes and his bare skin. Nodding a curt bow, Ran followed Oracle out of the room, extremely relieved to be far away from the corrupted leaders of Estet. 

Schwartz took him to another part of the museum, an office converted into a guest room. It was simply furnished and consisted of a table and chair, a phone and a small narrow cot. 

It felt too much like a prison cell though.

“This will be your temporary quarters while you’re here,” Oracle told him. “Do not leave your room until it’s time for the ceremony. The place is heavily guarded and we wouldn’t want to cause any misunderstandings among the guards. Dinner will be brought to you and if you need anything just use the intercom phone on the table.”

Oracle gestured to the table. Only then did Ran noticed the slim pile of white clothes folded neatly resting on the table. 

“You are required to change into that outfit for the ceremony. I hope we got your size right. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Oracle turned to leave the room. “I’ll be back at eight to escort you to the summoning grounds. Be ready by then.”

When the door closed, the telltale click of the lock sliding into place was distinctly audible in the silence of the room. It sounded to Ran very much like the lid of a coffin sliding into place.

Alone, Ran stood in the center of the room, letting the oppressive silence filled his senses. His stomach clenched in tension and his muscles coiled with unease. He was not going to be able to relax even though he was alone. Call it paranoia but he didn’t trust Estet to refrain from installing hidden cameras in his room. He was not willing to remove his mask. The thought of baring his face in this vipers’ nest gave him the shivers. Let them see him as he was – a concealed enigma. 

Unbidden, the memories of Takatori raping him and of the hungry look in the Elders’ eyes flashed in his mind. Ran shuddered and closed his eyes, resisting the urge to curl up in a corner. He could still feel Takatori’s slimy hands on his skin; feel how the Elders’ greedy gazes devoured the sight of his bared face.

Ran shoved the memories away with an effort. 

He eyed the folded pile of clothes with distaste, cautiously unfolding it for a clearer look. With a grimace of disgust, he threw it back down again. It was just a pair of baggy drawstring pants made from thin white cotton. They don’t expect him to wear just this to the ceremony, do they? He was not even going to take off his coat even if he was alone in this room. He needed the barrier the mask and clothes provided him, as a makeshift and badly needed shield. 

He didn’t want to be bare and vulnerable anymore. 

Ran didn’t believe a single word the Elders told him. Who were they trying to fool? They mustn’t have known that Takatori had told him the true reason they wanted him for their ritual, or they wouldn’t have come up with such lame crap. And only he knew what Takatori was up to.

What would Yohji say to this? 

Ran closed his eyes as a wave of numbing cold went through him. Yohji was dead, killed by his own hands. There was no one to help him, no one who would care what would happen to him. He gave in to the urge to curl up in the bed, squeezing his eyes shut, almost welcoming the numbness back into his body. He needed it to dull the huge gap in his heart to a bearable ache.


	5. Tsukiyono - 22 to 24

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Pain greeted him when he slowly, finally crawled out of the suffocating darkness. Yet he couldn’t open his eyes. His eyelids felt like leaden weight, conspiring to keep him in darkness. He was so tired, so weak, and hurting so bad. But even in his semi-conscious state, the faintest sensation that he was in unfamiliar surrounding trickled in. 

Where was he?

And where was he? 

A tendril of uneasiness snaked through him. There was something missing…someone that meant a lot to him…someone that should be there but was not.

It was this feeling of incompletion that roused him further. With agonizing effort, he forced his eyes to open. He couldn’t see much; his vision was completely blurred and made no sense. He let his eyes close again, completely exhausted by that miniscule movement.

Maybe it would be better if he waited until he regained more of his strength… 

When he awoke again, he felt much better. The fog in his mind had cleared somewhat. There was less pain, he had more energy and his vision ceased to blur. He lied quietly in bed, gazing blankly up at the ceiling, still somewhat dazed and unable to understand how he wound up here. 

A brunette head came into his line of vision, looking down at him. “You’re awake.”

He stared bemusedly at the brunette, remembering belatedly that the brunette’s name was Ken.

“Can you sit up?” Ken asked curtly and proceeded to prop him up on several pillows. Despite the curtness of his words, Ken’s actions were gentle and solicitous. “Thirsty?”

“Yes…” He croaked out, surprised that he could give voice to the word.

Ken poured water into a cup and carefully fed him the clear liquid in trickles. “Slowly now.”

The cool liquid revived him further, cleared his mind. Yohji lay back against the pillows and took in his surroundings. He was in an unfamiliar room, slightly run-down and shabby-looking but homely, nothing at all like his decadently comfortable bedroom. He didn’t recognize the place.

“We’re in a Kritiker safe house if you want to know.” Ken sat back in his chair. “Welcome back, Yohji. How are you feeling?”

“Awful…”

“I’m not surprised,” Ken snorted. 

Yohji fell silent as he tried to recall his last memory. It came easily enough – the burning pain as Ran’s katana went through his body, his lover’s upturned face filled with shock and agony – He stirred, the last image he remembered sending a frisson of worry through him.

“Ran…Ran doesn’t know I’m still alive.” Yohji tried to sit up but his body suddenly screaming in pain forced him back down again. “Itai…”

“Easy, Yohji. You’re not going anywhere in this condition.” Ken didn’t even have to restrain the older man; Yohji’s own weakness would ensure that he stayed in bed.

“But Ran -”

“Would have to do without you for now,” Ken replied bluntly. “You can’t even stand on your own two feet.”

“But someone has to tell him that I’m still alive.”

“We would if we could. But right now, Weiss is in hiding and incommunicado.”

Yohji stared.

“Schwartz discovered our base of operation. We can’t go back anymore. Persia wants us to keep a low profile until he can find us a new base of operation.” 

“What happened?”

Ken recounted the events of that fateful mission. 

“So with Koneko trashed and compromised, we left for the fairground. We got there just in time to pull his katana out of your stomach. The amount of blood pouring from your wound – god, it scared the hell out of us. You were dying right in front of us and we didn’t know how to stop the bleeding. Then Omi got inspired by sheer desperation.”

Ken leaned forward and pulled back the blanket, uncovering Yohji’s naked and liberally-wrapped-with-gauze torso. 

Yohji stared in silence at his chest and the ofuda charm stuck to his skin right above his heart. No, grafted was a better word. The borderline between the ofuda charm and his flesh was fused in many places, and he could see veins running through the charm and into his flesh. 

“That’s Omi’s doing,” Ken explained, seeing his faint look of revulsion. “I don’t understand how he did it, but basically, that ofuda charm is anchoring your life force to your body while you heal, ensuring that you wouldn’t die on us. It was a tough spell and he was completely spent when he finished. I ended up having to cart two bodies out of the fairground and take them to the car.”

At this point, Yohji finally noticed the bandage peeking out from beneath the collar of Ken’s T-shirt, signs of healing injuries. 

“Then from out of the blue, Birman and Botan appeared. Gave me a fright. I almost attacked them. Anyway they applied first-aid Mage-style to stabilize your condition even more before leaving the fairground with us. Somehow they knew of Schwartz’s attack at the flower shop. They brought us here and here is where we have been hiding for the last three days. Both Birman and Botan have been looking after you nonstop while you were unconscious. Once you are stronger, Omi will remove the ofuda from you.”

“How bad were my injuries?”

“You were burned and slashed in more places that I want to count. You had two fractured ribs, collarbone and a wrist, one broken rib, ankle and two fingers. You were bleeding internally and externally; your mage reserves were completely spent and let’s not forget about the stab wound right through your stomach. That one almost did you in. If Omi and I had arrived even a second later…hell, I don’t want to think about it.” 

“How long am I going to be stuck here?”

Ken shrugged. “Botan thinks you need three more healing sessions, which means three more days.”

“Three more…” Yohji closed his eyes. “That’s too long. I must get to Ran.”

Ken sighed. “Yohji…”

“I know. But Ran…he needs to know I’m alive. He promised he’ll stay strong but I’m still afraid -”

“Then he’ll stay strong,” Ken cut him off. “You have to trust him on that. If you can fall in love with him, he must have a core of strength that attracted you in the first place. I don’t think he will give up that easily.”

Yohji stared at the brunette, pleasantly astonished at his support. He had thought Ken disapproved of their relationship. While Ken’s sudden change of heart was gratifying, Yohji wanted to know what caused it and he said so.

“I heard him scream,” Ken said pensively, not looking at Yohji. “When Birman and Botan performed first-aid on you beside our car outside the fairground, I heard him scream. It was…the most heartbreaking sound I had ever heard. I would never forget that sound of a wounded animal.”

Yohji’s heart twisted. He didn’t need any imagination to know the kind of hell his lover went through.

“When Omi and I arrived at the fairground, all I saw was a man covered in your blood and holding the body of his victim. I was so furious and terrified, I couldn’t think straight. Omi was busy trying to anchor your life force. I wanted to and could’ve killed him right then and there and Omi wouldn’t be able to stop me. Then I saw the tears on his face…that blank look of devastation in his eyes…He didn’t even see me standing over him, Yohji. He didn’t seem to be even aware of his surrounding.” 

Ken sighed. He ran a hand through his tousled bangs and gazed somberly at his injured friend. 

“I couldn’t do it. He almost took your life and all I saw was a shattered soul mourning for you. Gems don’t have souls. If I didn’t know better, I would have swore he still had his. It was the first time I saw a Gem cry. That stopped me. I didn’t think they were capable of emotions. And later, when I heard him scream…I guess it finally brought home the fact that he did really loved you. And to have to kill you with his own hands…”

Ken’s voice trailed off. He dropped his gaze to his hands.

“I don’t know how I would cope if I was him,” he whispered. “Somehow I don’t think I’m strong enough to prevent myself from going insane.”

“Ken…”

The brunette took a deep breath and continued, “I was so afraid of someone hurting my only family and that made me paranoid and over-protective. I thought the Gem was like Kase, playing around with your heart. And I didn’t want you to be hurt the way I was…I’m sorry, Yohji. I didn’t mean to say those things about him.”

“I understand,” Yohji replied gently. “We all saw how much Kase had hurt you that time.”

Ken smiled faintly. “The moment you are back on your feet, we’re going to free him – together.”

Yohji returned his smile. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“Weiss is more than just a group of assassins living together,” Ken shrugged self-consciously. “We’re family and I’m very protective of my family.”

“You were zealously over-protective,” Yohji couldn’t help pointing out.

“I’m sorry. Blame it on my Hunter nature. We are very territorial, you know.”

“That would explain why you were so crabby when I woke up. I’m a part of your territory and I almost died.”

“You haven’t seen crabby yet, Kudoh.” Ken tried to glare at him but his grin spoiled the expression. “I’m really glad you’re not dead, Yohji.”

“Me too.”

“Friends?” Ken tentatively held out his palm.

“Yeah.” Yohji clasped his hand firmly. “Friends.”

The door creaked open and a blond head poked in. In a flash, Omi was inside the room and by Yohji’s bedside, beaming happily. The boy was so cheerful it was impossible for Yohji’s spirits not to lift somewhat.

“Yohji-kun, you’re awake!”

“Hai. Thanks to you, I heard.” Yohji gingerly touched the ofuda charm stuck to his chest. “Ingenious. Revolting but ingenious.”

“Just be thankful it worked.”

Yohji stared at him in mock horror. “You mean I was your guinea pig? Again?”

“Hidoi!”

“Thank you, Omittchi, really.”

Omi’s pout slid right into a brilliant smile. “You’re welcomed.”

“Looks like our rebellious assassin is finally awake.” 

Yohji’s gaze turned to the open doorway to see a strange man entering. He had never seen this stranger before. Raven-haired and darkly tanned, the man wore a dark red suit and a diagonal scar ran across one side of his face. He was fiddling with, of all things, a paper plane.

“You must be Botan,” he said. “Guess I owe you my life.”

“You’re welcomed.” Botan leaned against the wall opposite his bed. 

“You’re not going to ask how I managed to end up like this?” Yohji questioned. 

He was sure neither Omi nor Ken had spilled his secret to this Kritiker agent. Then again, since Botan was present on that night, it wouldn’t be too hard for the man to put the pieces together without help.

“Nope,” Botan answered nonchalantly. “I’ve predicted it.”

Three blank stares greeted his statement.

“I’ve a peculiar gift for predicting,” Botan explained. “I’m not a pre-cog or a clairvoyant. But sometimes, I would just trance without warning and out come from my mouth is a cryptic prediction.”

Omi suddenly inhaled sharply. “So you’re the one!”

“The one what?” Ken asked in bewilderment.

“Nothing much,” Omi answered hastily. “It’s, ah, just something I’ve heard, that’s all.”

“Okay,” Ken replied doubtfully. 

But neither he nor Yohji quite believed Omi. There had been something in Omi’s exclamation that sounded like he had just remembered something that solved a question for him.

“It must be rather inconvenient for you during field work,” Omi told Botan.

“I don’t do field work, in general. I’m mostly working in Kritiker HQ. But this time, Persia sent me out here with Birman to help you guys.”

“Why did he do that?”

Botan shrugged. “Beats me.”

He launched the paper plane and the object glided through the air to land softly in Yohji’s lap. “Anyway, I just stopped by to tell you guys that Birman has gone back to HQ and won’t be back for a while. If you need me for anything, I’ll be in the living room.”

“Wait,” Yohji called. “I want to ask a favor of you.”

“What favor?”

“Can you speed up the healing? I need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

Botan studied him thoughtfully for a long moment. His brown eyes suddenly glazed over and he spoke in an eerie monotone that made the hair raised on everybody’s necks. “You, who love a cursed Gem, will turn the world upon its head. Beware, for your love will be your triumph and your downfall.”

They stared at the Kritiker agent in dead silence, unnerved by the ominous prophecy.

Botan blinked and stared back at them in momentary confusion. “What?”

“You said something strange,” Yohji pointed out slowly.

Botan grimaced. “Another prediction, huh?”

They nodded.

“What did I say?”

“I don’t want to tell,” Yohji replied tersely. Then he changed the subject. “Will you be able to speed up the healing process?”

Wisely, Botan did not press. “I am already speeding it up as much as it is possible. Your body is still terribly weakened. Any faster and your body won’t be able to handle the additional stress. It’s much better this way.”

Then he was gone, leaving the Weiss assassins by themselves.

“Damn it,” Yohji swore in frustration. 

“It’s just three days,” Omi tried to soothe the worried man. “You’ll be up on your feet in no time.”

“It’s not for me I’m itching to get well quickly, Omi. I’m worried for Ran.” Yohji lowered his worried gaze to the paper plane he held in his hands. “I’m worried what my ‘death’ would do to him.”

* * *

By the second day after he woke up, Yohji was climbing the wall in his frustration. He had never been a very good patient and one-and-a-half-day of enforced bed rest did nothing to improve his mood. He was strong enough to stand without toppling over, well enough to make a nuisance of himself, and damn it, he didn’t see the point of Weiss hiding incommunicado when there were more important things to do, namely freeing his lover from Takatori’s clutches. 

“I don’t care what you say,” he growled at a protesting Omi. “I’m going to him, and I’m going right now!”

“Yohji-kun, you don’t even have a plan! You can’t just walk up to Takatori’s front door and say you want to see Ran.”

“Of course not. I’ll be sneaking in.”

“Your magic reserves are still low! At least wait until you’re at full strength.”

“I can’t afford to wait any longer!”

Out of desperation, Omi grabbed his unwounded arm and dug in his heels. “You’re not going anywhere!”

“Aarggh! Let go, Omi!”

“Iya!”

“Let him go, Omi.” Ken said as he planted himself before the front door. “He can leave if that’s what he wants.”

“Ken-kun!” the youngest Weiss protested, betrayed.

Yohji just grinned at the brunette. “Thanks, Kenken.” 

“But on one condition.”

Omi brightened at once while Yohji scowled. They both paled when Ken unsheathed his claws and fell into a fighting crouch.

“You have to get past me first.”

Yohji glared at Ken.

All of them, including himself, knew he was not strong enough to engage in a fight. His injuries might have healed but they were still tender and ached a lot. He hadn’t got the stamina for prolonged activities unless he took it slow. He couldn’t afford to waste any precious energy before freeing Ran. 

And they all knew that. 

Yohji cursed his weakened state, giving in with little grace. “Fine! I’ll stay.”

Churlishly, he switched direction and flopped down on the couch. Only when he was seated did he realize he was breathing hard and sweating. Just attempting to leave the safe house had drained him more than he knew.

“Baka.”

Yohji opened his eyes to see Botan lounging in the armchair next to the couch, reading the newspaper, completely unfazed by the commotion.

“Don’t undo all my hard work, will ya?” the Kritiker agent grumbled without looking up. “For a Weiss assassin, you’re idiotically rash.”

“Urusai,” Yohji snapped back without much heat.

“Who’s being idiotically rash?” asked a new, this time female voice.

They all turned to see Birman stepping through the front door.

“Our rebellious assassin here,” Botan replied. He put away his newspaper. “Welcome back, Birman.”

Birman sat down in the other armchair. “Good to see you’re up and about, Yohji. How are you feeling?” 

“I’ve been better.”

“I don’t doubt it. Anyway, I need you on your feet ASAP.” She tossed a brown folder onto the coffee table. “Weiss has a mission.”

“So soon?” Ken sat down next to Yohji. 

“Didn’t Persia say anything about our private mission?” Omi wanted to know.

“He didn’t say a word,” Birman replied. “He wasn’t even surprised when I told him. He just said, ‘make sure they are well enough for this mission’.”

The Weiss assassins exchanged glances. To be let off the hook so easily, instead of being punished, was not what they expected. They had been sure they would be suspended from duty and a black mark made against them. Still they were not about to question their good fortunes.

Omi picked up the brow folder and distributed the mission material inside. “What’s the mission about, Birman?”

“Remember your undercover mission to Takatori’s island? We managed to hack the encrypted data you stole from Takatori’s computer. Turns out that the secret alliance between Takatori and the Elders of Estet is for real. We have managed to put together enough pieces of the puzzle to know what they are up to.”

“Estet Foundation has been around for about three hundred years. The business’ longevity was due in part to a pact the Elders made with Belial, one of the Three Crown Princes of the Demons’ Plane. We don’t know about the details of the agreement but it’s clear that in exchange for three centuries of prosperity, the Elders will release him from the Demons’ Plane and bring him to this world.”

“But that would plunge the whole world into chaos!” Omi exclaimed. “Belial is sure to lead his armies if he comes here!”

“Which means we got to stop them before that happens,” Yohji said grimly. “But what has Takatori got to do with Estet?”

“Belial’s summoning ritual has a clause that has prevented people from succeeding. It requires a special sacrifice – someone who is not only pure but also so unique that he is literally one of a kind.”

Yohji’s blood ran cold. “And Ran fits the bill.”

Birman gave him an odd look. “Who’s Ran?”

“The Blood Diamond,” Ken explained. “It’s a long story.”

“He is the only Gem in existence right now,” Yohji ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. “He is pure in every way that matters. He’s perfect for the summoning ritual.”

“But I can’t believe Takatori will give up his Gem like that to other people,” Omi pointed out. “There were other Gems in the past two millenniums but none of them were used for Belial’s ritual. None of their masters were willing to give up their Gems at any cost. Why should Takatori be any different?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he desires more power; maybe he wants to join Belial. I don’t know. He must have something up his sleeve.”

“But will Ran survive?” Omi asked. “A Gem is bound to his master’s life force. Will the ritual really kill the Gem without affecting Takatori?” 

“I don’t know that either. No one has ever used a Gem as a ritual sacrifice before. This is a whole new playing field.” A thought suddenly occurred to Yohji and he groaned aloud. “So that’s what he has been up to!”

“What?” Ken demanded.

“Takatori’s negotiations with Estet must have gone on longer than we thought. Remember the blood pact you saw him making with the Elders on that island, Ken? It must be the agreement to hand Ran over to the Elders for the summoning ritual. They knew there’s a risk of Takatori of going back on his word, so they bound him with a blood pact. But that’s not all.”

Yohji turned to his friends. “Ran has spilled blood.”

“Which means he’s no longer pure,” Omi realized.

“All those secret missions Takatori sent Ran on, how many people actually know the Blood Diamond had killed? I’m willing to bet Estet knows nothing about it. So even though he’s bound to hand Ran over to the Elders as agreed, the summoning ritual is going to backfire because Ran doesn’t meet one of the criteria. By using Ran, Takatori is planning to destroy Estet.”

“Now that’s audacious,” Botan murmured.

“What will happen if the ritual fails, Birman?” Ken asked.

“No one knows. The ritual has never been attempted before.”

“Whatever it is, Ran is in danger.” Yohji declared tersely. “Belial would be enraged at being deceived. He would try to inflict as much damage as possible before he’s forced to return to the Demons’ Plane. Birman, when is the ritual going to be held?”

“Tomorrow night.”

Yohji swore. It was too soon; he was in no condition to go traipsing around in enemy territory yet. “Botan, Birman, you have to make sure I’m ready for the mission by tomorrow.”

“Demo -” Omi protested.

“We have to stop them, Omi. I don’t care if my body can’t withstand the stress of the healing sessions. But I can’t let them sacrifice Ran for some evil goal. Birman -”

“We’ll do it,” replied the woman. “I was going to suggest it anyway. But there’s one thing you forgot.”

“What’s that?”

“Schwartz thought that the Blood Diamond killed you.”

Yohji frowned. 

Birman had a point. Schwartz worked for Estet. It was safe to assume that Schwartz told them that Ran had killed.

“But if Estet knew, then why are they going ahead with the summoning?” Ken questioned. 

“Surely they wouldn’t risk angering Belial,” Omi added.

“What made you think Estet knew?” Botan spoke.

They looked askance at the Kritiker agent who had remained quiet until now. 

“We have no proof that Schwartz told them about the Blood Diamond’s killings.”

“So what are you saying?” Yohji asked impatiently.

“It doesn’t matter if the Elders know or not. The fact is the ritual is going to happen and Weiss has to stop them. It’s useless to speculate what could or could not have happened.”

Yohji conceded that Botan was right. He shouldn’t be concentrating on Estet’s reasoning but on their actions. He should be focused on rescuing Ran, the danger his lover was in, surrounded by people wanting to use him to further their own selfish goals…the thought consumed Yohji. Yet he couldn’t help but wonder what Takatori was up to. For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine Takatori sacrificing his Gem so readily. The bastard must have something else up his sleeve. And whatever it was, Yohji wouldn’t be surprised if it involved Ran again. 

And he would not, could not let Takatori hurt Ran anymore.

________________________________________

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

The moon was hidden behind a thick bank of clouds when Weiss arrived at Magnoris Inlet. 

When Bombay would have taken the time to survey the situation before acting, Balinese threw caution to the wind. He pushed through the security stealthily and quickly, impatient to reach his lover. His fellow assassins have no choice but to stay with him, just to make sure he wouldn’t alert the enemy.

“What now?” Siberian whispered when they reached the wall of the museum.

“Find a way to get to the ghetto amphitheater without alerting the guards,” Bombay ordered. “I’ll be looking for the arms cache inside the museum. I’ll join you as quickly as I can.”

“Right.” Balinese scanned the area intently and then rose to his feet. “This way.”

They split up in different directions, Bombay sneaking into the museum via his favorite entry style – the ventilation shaft, while Balinese and Siberian moved swiftly to the amphitheater. 

It was high tide, leaving the narrow strip of sandbar linking the coast to the rocky island even narrower. Crossing it was a tense dangerous business. Both Weiss assassins were out in the open, vulnerable to being spotted and if they were attacked, there was no way they could evade the enemy. The only choice left to them was to cross it as quickly as possibly, which they did at a dead run.

Keeping to the darkness and shelters offered by piles of rocks, they circumvented the rocky island to where the entrance to the ghetto amphitheater was. The entrance was guarded but that did not stop them. Siberian pounced on the farthest one, claws unsheathed to cut into the tender skin of the guard’s neck. Behind him, he heard a choked cry cut off suddenly as Balinese garroted the second guard. 

Then they were inside the cavern tunnel. Yohji made a motion to pause and they hunkered down behind some shielding rocks.

Ken glanced at his softly panting friend in concern. “You still okay?”

“Yeah…just let me get my breath back.”

Ken forced himself to ignore the lines of strain etching Yohji’s face and kept an eye on their surrounding. 

It was clear that Yohji was not at the top of his game. His wounds were still bothering him despite Botan and Birman’s healing sessions; his magic reserves still only halfway replenished. His reserves could only be regained through time, a commodity they did not have in abundance right now. Yohji would have to depend heavily on his skill with the wire and as a trained assassin to conserve his power. 

Yohji was at a distinct disadvantage on this mission. Ken would have preferred him to take a backseat but he knew Yohji would not hear of it. Yohji, more than anyone else on the team, had a personal stake in this mission.

“Okay, let’s go.” Yohji muttered.

They rose silently to their feet and pushed forward into the deeper darkness of the cavern.

The walk felt indeterminately long and silent. They had to tread carefully over the rocky surface to avoid disturbing loose stone fragments. A lightening in the darkness ahead was their first sign that they were approaching their destination. Then they heard chanting, soft at first but grew louder as they got closer. Finally they emerged into the ghetto amphitheater and saw on the stone stage the ritual summoning in progress.

Yohji gritted his teeth. Beside him, Ken’s hackles rose and he growled low in his throat. There was a dark heaviness in the air; a leaden tension that churned with black power. It made Yohji’s skin crawl and anger and fear to coil deep in his gut. 

Down below, on the stone stage, the Elders stood within a protective circle facing a giant stone idol. They were clad in robes of black and their arms raised as they chanted the words of the summoning spell. Before the giant idol was a stone altar and it was there Yohji could not take his eyes off.

Ran lay on the stone altar, wearing nothing more than white baggy pants, bared and vulnerable – a sacrificial offering for the ritual. Even from this distance, Yohji could read the tension in the lines of his body.

“Are we too late?” Ken muttered next to him.

Yohji listened carefully to the chant and shook his head. “They are just starting. Quick, this way down.”

* * *

The air in the ghetto amphitheater was cold and damp, and smelled of brine and smoke from the flickering torches. 

Ran shivered when he was made to lie down on the stone altar, the surface beneath his bare skin rough and clammy. The thin cotton of his white baggy pants did nothing to keep out the briny chill. Usually, Ran was immune to changes in the temperature, but for some reason, he could not help feeling chilled. And neither could he ignore the dark heaviness descending upon him like a suffocating blanket.

It was taking every ounce of his willpower not to bolt from the stone altar where he rested upon. He felt exposed and distinctly vulnerable, fear thrumming through him with every beat of his heart. The fear was driving the comfortable numbness from his heart, waking self-preservation instincts. He had long forgotten what Takatori had told him. Only the mantra ‘for Aya-chan’ gave him the strength to stay put.

Then he felt it – a disturbance in the boundaries between the Planes.

Ran shut his eyes, unwilling to witness the ascension of Belial from the Demons’ Plane through the portal the ritual had opened within the giant idol. Dimly, through the blood roaring in his ears, he heard a faint faraway explosion. Distracted and surprised, violet eyes flew open again. 

That was a mistake.

Ran froze as he stared right into the face of devil himself.

Somewhere else in the ghetto amphitheater, Yohji wasn’t going to wait for Omi any longer, as according to the plan. 

Belial had come through the portal. Right now, the demon prince was an insubstantial shade without a physical form, but that would change when he possessed the body of the sacrifice – that is if he could possess Ran’s body. Yohji doubted if the demon prince or the Elders knew about Ran’s tainted nature, but he wasn’t going to let that prevent him from thwarting their plans.

Mouth set in a grim line, Yohji advanced towards the stone stage. The Elders took no notice of his approach, too deep in their ritual. He could see Ran frozen in fear, staring up at Belial’s insubstantial grinning shade hovering above him. 

Then the shade of Belial disappeared, slipping into Ran’s body so quickly that Yohji missed it. A violent shudder ran through Ran’s pale body, arcing taut like the bow of a violin. Eyes wide and unseeing, Ran convulsed on the stone altar, mouth opened in a silent scream as he fought the possession.

Without hesitation, Yohji summoned up a fireball and threw it. 

The fireball smashed to smithereens against the Elders’ protective shield but it did catch their attention. As one, they turned to glare at him.

“Who are you?”

“Old geezers like you have no need to know my name,” Yohji returned coolly. 

“And old people shouldn’t be so power-hungry either,” Ken added as he advanced from the other end of the stage.

“It really gives old people in the world a bad image,” Omi called from a third direction. “Sorry I’m late, guys. Came as quickly as I could.”

Omi directed his next words to the Elders. “The arms cache at the museum is destroyed. Your people are fighting to put out the fire right now. No one will come to your aid.” 

“Impertinent fools, you can’t stop the ritual anymore. Belial will possess the sacrifice’s body and we will rule the world.”

Yohji’s eyes narrowed. “I got news for you, you old bag of wind. It’s not going to work.”

On an unspoken signal, Weiss attacked. 

* * *

_For Aya-chan, I can do this,_ Ran repeated the panicky mantra over and over again in his head.

But staring face-to-face with Belial, it was hard to hold onto that thought. Even harder to resist was the instinctual urge to flee as Belial descended closer to him. 

Then the shade of Belial slid into his body.

Ran barely had a chance to register Belial’s presence when a searing heat unlike anything he had ever known flooded his body. He arched and convulsed, screaming in agony, as the hellish spirit of Belial permeated through his body, his being. It was like drowning in molten fire, like being eaten alive by countless tiny sharp-teethed mouths, like a thousand knives skewering him; it was a presence so alien and overpowering that Ran realized abruptly and clearly – despite a Gem’s life-bond to his master – the possession would indeed kill him, crushed every bit of his consciousness and will till there was nothing left of him.

And his sister would be left alone in the world in the hands of a cruel man.

No!

Takatori’s order be damned! The bastard never intend for Ran to survive this!

With a strength born of sheer desperation and fury, Ran fought back. He felt the demonic presence within him recoiling slightly at the ferocity of his rejection before continuing relentlessly to overwhelm him. 

NO!

Angry and wildly hysterical, Ran tapped all the raw magic power at his disposal, pulling even more from the Nether Plane. He hammered at Belial’s presence with the pure force of his power in mindless panic.

He would not give in! Would not give in!

_You are mine…_

Face contorting with pain, a strangled scream escaped him as Belial, despite his resistance, easily settled in his mind. The alien overwhelming presence seeped through his memories, his emotions, leaving nothing untouched, as Belial began to consume him. Ran froze, a bizarre twisted shape on the stone altar, a hand clawed and reaching for the sky. 

“Ran!”

He still fought but it was the dying struggle of the futile. Tears slipped down his face in helpless fury. He couldn’t fight this, this usurper within himself!

“Ran!”

He heard the desperate shout, dimly realized someone had been shouting his name for some time. A familiar voice, one his dying heart said shouldn’t, couldn’t exist.

“Ran, come back to me! Hear me! Fight - Damn it, you old geezers, get out of my way!”

_Yohji…?_

“Ran! Fight it! You can do it!”

_Yohji…I must be dreaming. This is Belial’s deception…I can’t believe in it._

“Fight that old goat of a demon! He can’t win over you!”

_He can’t…?_

Gradually, Ran became aware of something. Belial was taking too long to finish the possession. Ran was still conscious, still retain his mind and will. He became aware of the demon’s spirit struggling to complete the process, struggling to retain a hold on him. Something had clearly gone wrong. And Belial knew it. Gamely, Ran began to push the demonic spirit out, cringing at the feel of that burning foul touch. 

He would not fail now.

Despite the fierceness of the battle, Yohji couldn’t help but grinned when he saw Ran slumping down from its rigid contorted position into a limp sprawl on the stone altar. Ran’s pale body began to glow as he began his struggle anew.

“What are you smiling at?” the Elders demanded.

“Nothing in particular,” Yohji smirked at the old bitch launching another wave of spirit wyrms at him. He ducked and neutralized the attack. Ignoring just how much his body was screaming in protest, he flung an attack of his own, a flood of golden spears of power streaming through the air. 

A low infuriated cry sounded through the ghetto amphitheater, cutting over the noise of the battle and effectively stopping all the combatants. It was an inhuman sound, a sound felt more by everyone than heard, and it made their blood freeze. 

They turned as one to look at the altar.

The shade of Belial had appeared again, high above the altar and Ran, a look of disbelief and outrage plain on his demonic face. Beneath him, half propped up on his arm, Ran literally shone with power as he held the demon crown prince at bay.

_Betrayers_ …The voice that was not a voice hissed through the ghetto. Impure sacrifice.

The Elders recoiled from Belial’s fury. “We seek only the best for you, my lord. We don’t understand!”

“Takatori played you out,” Yohji darted past his opponent towards the stone altar. He had a sudden inspiration on how to take out the old bags of bones.

Sprinting as fast he was able to, he dove forward, using the skidding motion of his body to rub out portions of the chalk lines of the Elders’ protective circle. He sprang back to his feet, threw himself upon Ran, pushing him down as a portal blinked open in the giant idol again right above their heads.

Belial screamed in furious helplessness as he struggled to break free from the implacable pulling force of the portal, dragging him back into the Demons’ Plane. A gale wind howled through the ghetto as he unleashed his power in a desperate bid to fight the inevitable, lashing and cutting. The ground shook; chunks of rock and dust crashed to the ground.

Yohji curled tighter around Ran, trying to shield the smaller man as best as he could as Belial struggled mightily above them. He could feel Ran’s death grip on him, clinging on for dear life. Yohji squeezed his eyes shut when he heard over the storm of Belial’s rage the terrified screams and shrieks of the Elders as Belial delivered his wrath upon them. He wasn’t going to look; no way in hell he was going to look at a scene that was bound to give him nightmares for months to come.

Then Belial let loose one last shattering roar of futile defiance, and the portal slammed shut.

Silence.

Pure silence and stillness descended so abruptly it actually made Yohji’s ears ring. He remained where he was for a while longer…just in case, before daring to raise his head and look around cautiously.

The stone stage was a mess of rubbles, cracked and collapsing at a far end. Above the ringing in his ears, he heard ominous sounds of cracking and shifting stone. The Elders’ broken protective circle still remained, a charred circle burnt into the surface. Yohji doubted anyone could remove the mark. There were no Elders to be seen, no demons to fight with, and the most important thing was, Ran was still alive and breathing beneath his protective self.

“Yohji!” The frantic call reached his ear before he could turn back to his pale lover. 

Omi and Ken came running up to him, both looking as battered and injured as he felt. Ken had fared a lot worse than Omi, being the only non Techno-Mage, but still he wasn’t hurt so bad he couldn’t walk.

“You two all right?” Ken asked in his abrupt direct manner.

“I think so.”

“It was awful,” Omi blurted out, distressed and relieved at the same time. “The way Belial reached past their broken protective circle and just pulled them into the Demons’ Plane with him! You knew that would happen, didn’t you?!”

But Yohji wasn’t listening to him anymore. All his attention was riveted on the pale motionless body he was still lying protectively over. “Ran,” he called softly, anxiously. “Ran, are you all right?” 

Violet eyes unblinking, Ran stared up at him mutely.

He gently cupped Ran’s face, trying to break the worrying stillness. “Love, please say something.”

“…I’ve gone mad,” came the barely audible admission.

“Why did you say that?” Yohji asked. He never noticed Ken and Omi backing away, leaving them alone.

“You’re here…with me.”

“I’m not dead, Ran.” Yohji grabbed a pale limp hand and brought it to his cheek. “See? I’m warm, sweaty, alive. You didn’t kill me.”

“…Belial has possessed me.” 

“No, he didn’t. He’s back where he’s supposed to be, in the Demons’ Plane.” Yohji kissed Ran’s palm. “If I’m dead, can I do this? Or this?”

He bent his head and kissed Ran hard, tongue nudging past petal-soft lips to reclaim the moist sweetness of Ran’s mouth, pouring all his emotions into that one kiss. Slowly, Ran began to respond, shaky arms reaching up and curling around Yohji’s neck as he kissed his blond lover back feverishly, trying to convince himself that this was real.

“You’re alive,” Ran choked out the words when they finally parted for air, half laughing and half crying in his relief. “You’re alive!”

“Yes, Ran.” Yohji tightened his embrace around his violently shaking lover, kissing the red silk of his hair. “I’m too stubborn to die.”

“I thought I’ve killed you!”

“My friends saved me. Omi and Ken.”

“Then I owe them a debt of gratitude.” Ran kissed Yohji again. “I love you, Yohji. I love you so much.”

“And I love you too.” Yohji took off his coat and placed it around Ran’s shoulders. “Come on, we have to get out of here.”

Ran nodded, eyes shining brilliantly with giddy joy and relief. He took a deep breath to calm his emotions but the roller-coaster emotional ride of the past few hours wasn’t about to run its course so quickly. Pulling on Yohji’s coat properly, he stuck close to his lover, never letting go of Yohji’s hand as they approached the other two Weiss assassins.

“We can still leave undetected, hopefully.” Omi announced. “Estet’s guards are late.”

“Good.” Yohji eyed the ceiling of the ghetto worriedly. Dust and sand were still falling, and the ominous cracking sound had increased in intensity. “Let’s get out of here while we can.”

They had barely reached the tunnel when Ken suddenly barked for them to stop. Growling low in his throat, Siberian dropped into a fighting stance as he stared hard into the darkness.

Ran tensed suddenly. “Schwartz.”

They watched tersely as the four members of Schwartz stepped out from the darkness of the tunnel. Compared to the battered members of Weiss, they were fresh and rested. And all of them were looking at Weiss with individual expressions of confidence and disdain.

“A little late for the party, aren’t you?” Balinese said evenly. “Your masters are dead.”

“And we thank you for doing the work for us,” Oracle replied with false politeness.

“You’re welcomed. The place is going to collapse pretty soon. I strongly suggest we all get out of here now.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that. You see, we are Schwartz and we are obliged to at least show we are taking vengeance for the Elders’ deaths.”

“Well, shit.” Yohji released Ran’s hand and stepped in front of him. Green eyes narrowed, he raised his watch-clad arm in a ready position. “Guess we got to do this the hard way then.”

“Exactly.”

Siberian bared his teeth, catching Berserker’s attention. Without warning the albino Irishman attacked and Siberian promptly clashed with him.

Scowling, Bombay started to go after Schuldich but Prodigy intercepted him. The young boy, smaller than Omi, smirked and blasted him with a fierce telekinetic blow. Gritting his teeth as he was slammed into the tunnel wall, Omi struggled back to his feet and struck back with his ofuda spell.

Ran watched fists clenched at his sides, as Oracle tackled Balinese. He never knew the American pre-cog was a boxer and an extremely skilled one at that. He kept Balinese in close quarters, giving him no time to cast spells, forcing him to fight on the pre-cog’s terms, which was a disadvantage to Balinese. 

There must be something he could do, something to help Yohji and his friends even out the odds. But he dared not interfere. He was deathly afraid of the backlash if he wielded his sword one more time, terrified of the consequences if he actively sought to spill blood once more. He bit his lower lip, railing at the fates for tying his hands.

“Why, liebe, you looked like you need someone to entertain you.”

Ran half-whirled, violet gaze fixing unerringly on the German telepath standing not too far away from him. Shit, he had plain forgotten about Schuldich in his worry over Yohji’s well being.

In a flash, Schuldich had covered the distance to croon softly into his ear, “Don’t fret, klein diamant. I’ll play with you.”

Ran snarled, elbow striking into Schuldich’s stomach as he spun to confront the telepath. Unconsciously, he called his katana to him.

Schuldich licked his lips in anticipation. “The Juwel has teeth. I like that.”

With his uncanny speed, Schuldich attacked again, aiming for a punch at Ran’s gut. To his surprise, Ran dodged his punch and slammed the sheathed length of his katana into his side. Schuldich staggered back, gasping and clutching his side in pain.

“Your speed and mind power won’t work against me,” Ran said coldly. “You can’t read my mind and I can match your speed anytime.”

“Heh, heh, I forgot.” Schuldich chuckled. “So tell me then, klein diamant. How does being betrayed feel?”

Violet eyes narrowed.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t realize that Takatori never meant for you to survive that ritual.” Schuldich noticed the way Ran’s body stiffened and smirked. Seizing the chance, he darted in again and landed a punch across Ran’s face. 

“Terrible, isn’t it?” he continued conversationally as he danced out of reach. “Makes you wonder why he was willing to sacrifice you, why were you so…expendable.”

“Shut up,” Ran grated. 

“You mean you don’t want to hear the best part?” Schuldich faked a feint and darted behind Ran. He grabbed hold of the katana from behind and cruelly pulled it against Ran’s throat, trapping the pale young man between him and the choking barrier of his own katana. Gasping, Ran strained to push the katana away from him but Schuldich was surprisingly strong. 

The telepath leaned down and whispered into his ear, “Let me tell you everything about Takatori, pretty.”

Ran froze, eyes widening in shock, as Schuldich whispered the startlingly news into his ear. It can’t be…he didn’t…the bastard, the goddamned bastard!

With a cry of fury, Ran lashed out unthinkingly with his power. He tossed Schuldich off without so much lifting a finger, shining fiercely as his fury fueled the strength of his power. 

A low rumble sounded through the tunnel, vibrating through the ground. Dust and sand tumbled down through cracks in the tunnel ceiling and it was getting difficult for anyone to remain standing on their feet.

Schuldich looked up at him from where he laid, a smirk on his bloodied lips. “Poor pitiful pawn.”

“You lie!”

“I manipulate, but I don’t lie, pretty. Your parents’ deaths, your sacrifices, all of it were his manipulations. He had his eyes on you ever since he first saw you and he schemed daily on how to get his hands on you. He killed your parents, put your sister in a coma, and destroyed your world so completely that you have no choice but to accept his help. But you didn’t know that, did you? You thought him a dear family friend. Walked right into his palm like a willing sheep to the slaughter. 

“He used you to defeat Estet. He knew it would kill you but he didn’t tell you that too, did he? Did you really think he was so possessive of you that he’ll give up the opportunity to gain more power? Let me tell you something else, even someone as audacious as him isn’t stupid enough to keep a tainted Gem around for long.”

Ran shook with rage. If Schuldich was right, and deep down he knew the German telepath was right, then Takatori had been planning his demise for months. Everything Takatori had told him was just lies to keep him from rebelling.

Schuldich’s smirk grew wider. “The man you bound yourself to took everything you loved in the first place.”

“Shut up!” Ran let loose another power blast.

Huge chunks of rock crashed to the ground, setting off a chain reaction through the ghetto. 

Yohji swore as a chunk missed him by bare inches. He risked a look around. Not good. The place was falling apart around them. They had to leave. Now. Suiting actions to words, he broke off his fight with Oracle. Yelling to Ken and Omi to beat it, he dashed over to the livid Ran and pulled him along as well.

“Time to go!”

“Leave me be!” Ran yelled. “I have unfinished business with Mastermind!”

“Later! This place is collapsing!”

Ran growled and followed reluctantly, helped along by Yohji’s persistent tugging. They broke out into a frantic flight for the exit, trying to escape the collapsing cavern. But like an avalanche, the collapse gathered momentum faster than they could outrun it.

Outside, the police swarming over Magnoris Inlet gaped in shocked disbelief as the ghetto amphitheater – a historical monument for centuries – collapsed and tumbled back into the ocean with a rumbling roar that could be heard for miles around. 

________________________________________

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Dawn was peeking over the horizon when four young men suddenly shimmered into existence on a beach, miles away from Magnoris Inlet. They were all battered and injured, drenched and exhausted; their clothes tore and ripped in many places.

The minute they solidified, Weiss collapsed onto the sandy beach in various poses of exhaustion. Even Ken, with his superior physique, found it necessary to sit down and used a boulder as a prop. The mission had taken its toil on all of them. 

Except for the Gem. Ran remained as fresh and vigorous as ever, his Gem nature compensating quickly to replace his fatigue with strength.

Ran sat close to Yohji’s sprawled side, anxious and terse as he tried to determine the extent of Yohji’s injuries. Beneath his golden tan, Yohji was pale and his face drawn tight with pain. He felt a stab of guilt when he saw how much Yohji was hurting and it was all because of him. The most frustrating thing was he could not relieve Yohji some of that pain. Healing someone else but his master was not part of a Gem’s abilities.

All he could do was to use his power and transported them away from the ghetto amphitheater before they could be buried alive. It was a narrow escape, one Ran wasn’t sure he could pull it off. He never had to spirit away so many people at one time before. But he did it, and they were safe now.

He leaned over and clasped his lover’s face, willing Yohji to open his eyes. “Daijoubu?”

“I’m…all right,” Yohji managed to force the words out. He opened his eyes and smiled wanly at Ran. “Where are we?”

“Somewhere far from Magnoris Inlet. We should be safe now.”

“Omi and Ken?”

Ran turned his gaze to the other two Weiss assassins, assessing their injuries. “Okay, just battered and tired. Much like you.”

“Good. And you?”

“…Never mind about me now. We have to get you guys out of here.” Ran carefully pulled Yohji to his feet, slinging an arm across his shoulder to hold Yohji up. Together they staggered over to Ken and Omi.

“Ken, can you walk?” Yohji asked.

The brunette Crossbreed nodded tiredly. He slowly got to his feet and reached for Omi. The young blond did not even stir as Ken picked him up like a sack of potatoes. Poor boy was still too wrung out by the ordeal.

“Where we going?” Omi mumbled dully.

“Somewhere safe, chibi.”

Together, slowly and painfully, they walked off the beach towards the small road they could see in the distance. They haven’t got the slightest idea where they were. Hopefully, they would be able to hijack some passing vehicle. 

A van sped down the road and, much to their surprise, screeched to a halt before them. The back door was thrown open and Birman peered out.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” she demanded. “Get in!”

Bewildered as to how Kritiker knew where to find them, they nevertheless piled into the van. They were barely seated before the van took off again.

“You guys certainly look like drowned cats,” Manx remarked from the driver’s seat.

“How do you know where to find us?” Yohji wanted to know.

“I tracked you guys down,” Birman replied as she passed out dry towels. She paused when her gaze fell upon Ran. “Manx, we seemed to have picked up an unwanted passenger.”

The redhead woman barely glanced at the silent Gem in the rearview mirror. “Leave him be, Birman. Persia’s order.”

“Where are we going?” Omi asked again, a little more alert than before.

“Safe house,” Manx replied. “You guys have just sent the entire city into an uproar. Not only have you destroyed Magnopolis’ most beloved historical site in one night, you have also helped caused the collapse of the Estet Foundation as well. Do you have any idea what you have done? By the time the stock market open today, the entire financial world would be reeling from the shock. God knows how much the stocks are going to plummet today. People would want to know why and how it happened, and suspicions would naturally fall on Kritiker as well. You have to lay low for a while.” 

“Stop the van,” Ran said suddenly.

They looked at him in surprise. 

Violet eyes, hard and cold, stared back at Manx. “I said, stop the van.”

Manx pulled over to the side of the road. 

Without a word, Ran got out from the van. Yohji was after him in a heartbeat. He grabbed hold of Ran’s wrist, pulling him back. “Where are you going?”

“You should follow her to the safe house,” Ran replied distantly. “Get some rest and medical attention.”

“I didn’t ask that. I asked where are you going?”

“Unfinished business.”

“It’s Aya-chan, right? You are going back to get her, aren’t you?”

“I can’t ask you to help me anymore. You have helped me too much. This is between Takatori and I.”

“Bullshit. I’m coming with you.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Ran snapped. “You’re hurt bad.”

“I’ll live.”

“Don’t be stubborn, Yohji. Just follow her to safety, please. And please, let me go. I have to rescue her before it’s too late.”

“What do you mean ‘before it’s too late?” Yohji demanded. “What is Takatori going to do to her?”

Ran bit his lip. 

“Tell me!”

“He-he never intended for me to survive the summoning. Mastermind…he told me Takatori was going to turn my sister into a Gem to replace me.”

Yohji stared.

“Takatori deceived me, has been deceiving me for ten years. He killed my parents, put my sister in a coma, tricked me into becoming his Gem. He never planned to wake Aya from her coma; he used her to control me. And now, he’s just going to discard me to further his goal and replace me with my sister.” 

Angry, betrayed violet eyes locked with verdant green.

“I should have known. No one would be willing to keep a tainted Gem for long. Aya…she’s in a coma, unknowing and unable to resist, pure in soul and body, passive in her sleep. She’s perfect!” 

Ran reached up and caressed Yohji’s face. “I can’t put you in danger again for my sake. It’s too much to ask. So please, let me go. Let me finish this on my own.”

Yohji looked at him a long steady moment, and then grasped Ran’s wrist. “Iko.” Holding securely onto Ran, he dragged his reluctant lover back to the van. “We’re going to Takatori. All of us.”

“Yohji -!”

“No debate, Ran.” He replied sharply. Then his tone softened. “Not this time. If Takatori is going to create himself a brand-new Gem, then as Weiss, we are obliged to stop him. So you see, Ran, you can’t prevent us from rescuing your sister.”

“But…”

“Beside,” Yohji gave him a small tight smile. “I keep my promises.”

“…”

“Any idea where the ceremony would be held?”

“His island. It was where he changed me.”

“Great.” Bundling his lover into the van before him, Yohji leaned over the front seat. “Hey, Manx? We got a new mission.” 

“Mission?”

“To bring down Reiji Takatori.”

________________________________________

**Interlude**

Somewhere else, across the bay from Magnoris Inlet, on the opposite shore, another four equally drenched and disheveled men waded ashore. Farfarello carried a near-unconscious Nagi in his arms, while before him, Schuldich and Crawford fought to stay on their feet.

“Damn,” Schuldich gasped. “That is one experience I do not want to go through again.”

Crawford said nothing. He took off his spectacles since they were too wet to look through properly. “How is Nagi?”

“Alive, barely.” Schuldich said after a quick examination. “Pulling us out of danger from the collapsing debris was too much stress even for him. He’ll sleep for days.”

“Let him. He’ll have time to recuperate.” Crawford looked across the vast bay to the tiny clouds of smoke rising in the horizon. “We all will.”

Schuldich came to stand next to him. //So, Brad, is this the fruition of your schemes?//

//Yes.//

//Brilliant. Using our enemies to get rid of the Elders, so we can take over Estet.//

//Who says we are taking over Estet? I care nothing about Estet.//

//Oh?//

//Tell me, how long do you think we will stay alive if the Elders succeeded in freeing Belial? We would have been redundant, no longer of any use to them. We would have been dead at their hands in very little time. But now…Schwartz is free.//

Crawford gave him a sidelong smirk.

//Free to disappear and do whatever we like. Along with a good portion of Estet’s assets.//

Schuldich chuckled, which quickly turned into laughter. //Like I said, brilliant.//

Crawford turned his back to the bay. “Come. It’s time to go.”


	6. Fall - 25 to 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final showdown between Weiss and Takatori. Ran is determined to rescue his sister and takes his vengeance on the man who destroyed his life. The only catch is, when Takatori dies, so must he. And there is nothing Yohji can do about it. YxA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess it’s quite clear to everyone that ‘The Hope Diamond’ is coming to an end pretty soon. I’m still undecided on what kind of ending to give it. A ‘and they lived happily ever after’ ending, or something more along my taste. I think I should ease up on the angst though. It just occurred to me that the story might have gotten too painful for some people to read, so I guess I owe those people a sort of happy ending. Still, ‘Hope Diamond’ is meant to be an angsty star-crossed romance and we all know how that supposed to turn out. I really don’t know which way to go. Have to think about it some.

** Fall **

In retrospect, Fujimiya’s tragedy was the root of the current troubles besieging the world, though it was a little known fact. When he agreed to become Takatori’s Gem for his sister’s sake, he unwittingly set into motion a series of events that would bring about the downfall of Estet and Takatori, and heralded the coming of a troubled decade people dubbed as the Dark Recession. For Gems were cursed creations, and they would eventually bring terrible retribution and misfortunes to their masters and all. 

For two hundred years, the three oligopolies – Takatori Incorporation, Kritiker and Co, and the Estet Foundation – competed viciously to gain absolute dominance in the commercial and political arenas of Magnopolis. Corruption was rife and there was not a single area that their influences were not felt. However, the three powers unexpectedly came to an impasse, their influences neatly balanced in Magnopolis.

An uneasy stalemate was maintained for fifty years. But in recent times, a new Persia took over the leadership of Kritiker and Co, a new Schwarz possessing psychic talents oversaw Estet Foundation’s operations in Magnopolis, and Reiji Takatori became the head of his clan and family company.

One day, ten years ago, Takatori unveiled his Gem to the world – shocking everyone, including his rivals.

Takatori’s Gem was called the Blood Diamond and all who saw him thought he was aptly named. His skin was alabaster with a moon-sheen glow, and his hair was crimson ruby. All agreed he was the most beautiful thing in existence, though no one had ever seen his face. Takatori, being the possessive master he was, never allowed his Gem to go out into public unmasked. To that purpose, Takatori had a variety of expensive masks - all exquisitely handcrafted – made for his Gem. 

Everyone was content to admire the cold pristine beauty of the Blood Diamond from afar, unwilling to risk Takatori’s wrath. No one knew that beneath the Gem’s aloofness and untouchable air was an imprisoned and lonely soul who despaired of his beloved sister ever waking up from her coma.

Certainly, the balance of power in Magnopolis began to shift with the creation of Takatori’s Gem. While both Estet and Kritiker soon found themselves slowly losing the competitive edge, Takatori prospered.

Kritiker launched a series of business strategies that would counter the Takatori threat. In secret, Persia formed Weiss – his clandestine assassin group who would help to win back the edge he needed to oust Takatori and Estet from Magnopolis. 

Estet, on the other hand, was more concerned with fulfilling the pact made with Belial, one of the three Crown Princes of the Demons’ Plans, three hundred years ago. It would be the current Elders’ task to perform the ritual and bring Belial into the Mortal Plane. 

The summoning ceremony was complex and difficult, and required a special sacrifice – someone who was so pure and unique that he was literally one of a kind. 

The Blood Diamond fit the bill perfectly. 

The Estet Elders began negotiating with Takatori secretly, hoping to gain the Gem as a sacrifice in exchange for allying Takatori with the power of Belial. After long and delicate negotiations, the Elders and Takatori finally sealed the agreement with a blood pact. 

Unbeknownst to them, Takatori had no intention of joining Estet or Belial’s forces. He had other ambitions and his lust for power was far greater than his possessiveness of his Gem. He began to secretly taint the Blood Diamond, teaching his Gem how to kill and sending him out on shadow missions to kill those who stood in his way. 

By doing so, he double-crossed Estet. For when Belial realized that the sacrifice was not pure, the Demon Prince turned his wrath on the Elders and killed them. Thus Estet would fall and Takatori was ready to take over their sphere of influence in a heartbeat. But he knew even a Gem was no match for a Demon Prince’s power and in all likelihood he was sending his Gem to die. If Takatori wished to continue his ascent to total power, he would require a new Gem to replace the Blood Diamond. 

And so he turned his attention to Fujimiya’s comatose sister, Aya. Young, a virgin and an innocent, unknowing, unresisting and passive in her sleep, she would be the perfect sacrifice to take over her brother’s place. 

But Takatori, in his scheming, failed to take into account his own Gem’s heart. In fact, no one, not Kritiker, not Estet or Takatori, saw it coming. Perhaps Persia did, if Botan ever gave him the prediction, but the head of Kritiker kept his own counsel. 

Kudoh’s tragedy was startlingly similar to Fujimiya’s. He too was shattered by personal loss – in his case, his first true love. Burdened by guilt and grief, his life in shambles, Kudoh was easily recruited into Weiss. From a private detective with a promising future, Kudoh fell far and hard to become a ‘ghost’ among the living, only existing to kill in the shadows. 

While on a mission, Kudoh had tried to flirt with a disguised Blood Diamond in a supermarket, unaware of his true identity or the fact the Gem was sent to kill the same target as well. Certainly when Weiss briefly fought the Gem much later, the Blood Diamond recognized Kudoh. 

At that time, none of them realized it but the mission would change Kudoh and Fujimiya’s lives forever. Though they were enemies, both of them had many things in common. It was a meeting that drew two pain-filled souls together into a forbidden and dangerous love. 

It was dangerous for anyone to fall in love with a Gem, and even more of a taboo for the Gem to reciprocate the love. A Gem was bound to his master’s life and subjected to his will and command. He had no freedom and no rights of his own, existing only for his master. In the Blood Diamond’s case, he was kept isolated as well, for Takatori was a jealous possessive master. To love someone not his master was to invite punishment of the worst sort. 

Constrained by secrecy, Kudoh and Fujimiya stole brief snatches of time to express their love for each other. Their love was furtive, tinged with desperate need and frustration. They could not love openly and freely, for those who ruled their lives were enemies. 

When Takatori found out about their love, he exploded into a fit of jealous rage. As punishment, Takatori took his Gem against his will and ordered him to kill Kudoh, if he wanted his sister to live. Having little choice, Fujimiya bitterly submitted to his master’s will, his heart breaking with pain and anguish. 

But Takatori’s treachery did not stop there. With the fruition of his plans nearing, Takatori ordered the Blood Diamond to aid Estet in their summoning ceremony, as agreed in the blood pact. With the threat of his sister’s safety hanging over him, Fujimiya obeyed, an unwitting sheep led to slaughter. 

Yet the fortunes of fate had a way of turning. 

Weiss arrived to stop the summoning ceremony. And to Fujimiya’s stunned disbelief, Kudoh came to his rescue. He thought he had killed his lover but Kudoh was very much alive – rescued by his loyal friends. 

The summoning ceremony failed, as Takatori planned it would, and Belial, angered by the apparent betrayal, pulled the Elders into the Demons’ Plane as he was inexorably drawn back – effectively killing them. 

When Weiss attempted to make their escape, Schwartz confronted them. The team of psychic talents has kept themselves apart from the Elders’ affairs, working subtly to gain their own freedom from Estet. In the end, their final fight with Weiss was simply a cover to fake their deaths, so they could disappear. 

In the fight with Schwartz, Fujimiya finally learned the true extent of Takatori’s deceit and betrayal. He learnt how his master had engineered his parents’ death and his sister’s coma, so as to trick him into becoming his Gem. He learnt that Takatori cold-bloodedly planned to sacrifice him to bring down his rival, Estet, and replace him with his innocent sister. Stunned and furious beyond belief, Fujimiya vowed to stop Takatori, save his sister and avenge his deceased parents. 

In the space of a single night, the Estet Foundation collapsed, causing shockwaves of alarm to spread out through the world. 

Yet Estet’s collapse was only the beginning. 

For Fujimiya and Weiss have turned their attention to stopping Takatori’s diabolical schemes.

________________________________________

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

The safe house Manx took them to was by the coastline, a small unobtrusive chalet with its own private pier and far from the city. It was also well stocked and well furbished. Weiss could easily hide there for a month with little trouble.

Ran was contented to leave his lover to recuperate in the safe house with the rest of Weiss. Unlike him and his traitorous master, Kritiker had not abandoned Yohji and his friends; the agent Birman hung around to treat their injuries and made sure they settled in comfortably while the redheaded woman drove back to the city. 

Oh yes, Ran was more than willing to leave Yohji at the safe house where he would be safe, where Ran could be sure Takatori would not be able to harm him. Despite Yohji’s declaration to accompany him to free his sister, Ran was still very reluctant to drag his lover back into danger. 

“Where are you going?” Ran froze when he heard the beloved voice behind him. 

Amethyst eyes looked longingly at the back door. If he makes a break for it now... 

Ran gasped when he suddenly felt long sinewy arms wrapping around his arms and waist, trapping him against the lean hard chest. 

“Didn’t I say we’re going to take down Takatori together?” Yohji’s voice murmured next to his ear. 

“I can’t ask that of you.” 

“I made you a promise, Ran. A long time ago, remember? I said I would free you. I also said I would free your sister and take care of her.” 

“I know, I remember. But now...I don’t want to risk your life again. Not for me, not when I nearly took it once. Not ever. Let me go, Yohji. Please.” 

His lover’s arms only tightened more. “Iie.” 

Yohji forcibly turned Ran around so he could look the smaller man in the eye. “You’re forgetting something. You’re his Gem; you are bound to him by his life and his will. How difficult will it be for him to assert his control over you?” 

“It’s better than risking your life,” Ran insisted stubbornly. 

“No, it’s not. If you go alone, you’ll fail for sure. And the last thing you’ll ever see is Takatori turning your sister into a Gem like yourself. You don’t want that to happen, do you?” 

Ran pressed his lips into a stubborn thin line, refusing to say a word. He knew that Yohji was right. Of course he was right. As a Gem, the only person he could not fight against and hope to win was his master. He needed help if he wished to free his sister and honestly, he felt a lot better if the help came from Yohji and his friends. They had, after all, taken down the Estet Elders. 

But damn it, it was so hard to think clearly past the fear clenching his heart and clouding his thoughts. So hard to convince his heart that Yohji could take care of himself. So difficult to resist the temptation to leave Yohji where he was safe and attempt the rescue by himself. 

Sensing Ran’s distress, Yohji enfolded his agitated lover into a tighter embrace, tucking the ruby-red head under his chin. 

“I don’t want to lose you,” Ran confessed at last. “I think I’ll die or go mad if I do. Once is more than enough.” He buried his face against Yohji’s neck with a bitter laugh. “Silly, isn’t it? You’re the one who will be losing your love and all I can think of is how awful I’ll feel if I lose you. This is so selfish of me.” 

“Not selfish, Ran. Just plain human,” Yohji replied tenderly. “For once, you’re thinking about yourself and I think that’s a good sign.” 

Despite his fretting, Ran had to smile against Yohji’s warm skin. 

“We go together, all right?” Yohji asked. 

“All right,” Ran agreed. Now that he was calm and the fear abated, Ran could see it was tactically a sound decision. Alone, he would not have any chance but together with Weiss, the tide might just turn in their favor. 

Yohji dropped a kiss upon the ruby-red hair. “Come on. We are gathering in the living room for a strategy-planning session. We’ll need your input.” 

A thought occurred to Ran. “Yohji?” 

“Nani?” 

“How did you know I was going to leave?” 

Yohji gave him a thoughtful and puzzled look. “That’s a good question. I just knew you were going to do it.” 

Ran blinked. 

That sounded familiar. It was similar to what he told Yohji when he unerringly tracked down his wounded lover hiding from Riot’s henchmen. It seemed like they were developing some kind of sixth sense when it come to each other. 

Ran dismissed the thought promptly. 

Iie, it couldn’t be right. If they did have that kind of connection, he would have known straight away that he did not kill Yohji, that his lover was still alive. This was just a fluke, just like the last time. 

In the living room, dry and refreshed, the rest of Weiss and Birman were gathered about the low coffee table. 

The youngest member, Omi, Ran remembered his name from conversations he had with Yohji in the past, was focused on the laptop while Ken was poring over a topographic map with Birman. In the background, the television was on with the audio muted, showing the news broadcast of the panic and chaos at Magnoris Inlet. 

“What have you got, chibi?” Yohji asked without preamble. 

The lanky blond sat down on the sofa, absently tugging Ran to sit next to him. Which Ran did so stiffly, feeling somewhat self-conscious to have their relationship openly displayed around people he hardly knew. Yohji sensed his discomfort and awkwardness. He could see Ran unconsciously bracing himself for censure and disapproval, either verbal or physical, conditioned from years of abuse from Takatori. This had to be remedied at once. 

Ran glanced at his lover when Yohji squeezed his hand reassuringly and gave him a confident encouraging smile. He smiled back, feeling immensely better with Yohji’s silent encouragement. 

“Ahem,” Omi coughed politely to catch their attention. “According to this website I found, the Forging requires three days. During the Forging, the Techno-Mage mustn’t be interrupted. Even a split second lapse in concentration could prove fatal to all parties.” 

Ken stared, surprised at the laptop screen. “You found all these on the Net? Shouldn’t this sort of information be restricted? It’s dangerous.” 

“The sheer degree of difficulty is enough to deter anyone from experimenting just for the heck of it,” Omi shrugged. “Beside it’s the Net. You can find all kinds of things on it.” 

“So Takatori will be most vulnerable during the Forging,” Yohji frowned. “But we would endanger Aya-chan as well.” 

“We have to stop him before the Forging begins,” Ran stated. 

“There is another important detail,” Omi continued. “The area where he performs the Forging must be completely free of magical wards to prevent interference with the flow of the wild magic.” 

Yohji turned to his lover. “I bet his island is warded?” 

“Hai. I remember when he Forged me, he had to take down the barriers and wards on the island. That includes the wraith-hounds. But he still has security details and if I’m right, they would be even more alert during the Forging.” 

Omi frowned. “We won’t have time to fight our way through.” 

“They wouldn’t be a problem. I can lead you through the defenses.” 

“Wait a sec,” Ken interrupted. “Wouldn’t he know what you’re up to? I mean you are bonded to him. He already knows you’re alive, right? Surely he’ll know the minute you go to his island.” 

“Oh, he knows I’m still alive. That’s why he increased the strength of his shield a few hours ago.” Ran’s smile was thin and malicious. “The bond goes both ways and his shielding is much stronger than mine. He’s blocking me now to prevent me from knowing his thoughts but at the same time, it also prevents him from knowing what I’m doing. That is our advantage.” 

“Excellent,” Yohji’s smile was equally unpleasant. “He wouldn’t know what hit him.” 

“Hold that thought, guys, and turn up the volume.” Birman suddenly spoke up. “This looks interesting.” 

Curious, Ken reached for the remote control and turned up the television’s volume. 

“-The authorities have not been able to identify the culprits responsible for the murders of the Estet Elders and the destruction of Magnopolis’ most beloved historical landmark. Nor have they been able to find any clues as to how and why they were killed. Right now, speculations and rumors are rife. Investigators have not ruled out any possibilities, though they have said during the press conference that the feud Estet had with Takatori Incorporation and Kritiker and Co is the most likely reason for their deaths. 

“Mr. Persia, head of Kritiker and Co, has denied any involvement whatsoever, saying that the authorities are welcomed to investigate his company as long as, quote ‘they were not corrupted officials bought over by Estet Foundation and Takatori Incorporation’ unquote. 

“On the other hand, Reiji Takatori has made the unexpected decision to retreat to his private island earlier this morning. He told the press before he left the mainland that he was shocked and disturbed by Estet’s collapse. He also said it could only be the work of a very powerful person but declined to speculate on who it might be. 

“Mr. Takatori has also denied eyewitnesses’ reports that the Blood Diamond had been seen in the area earlier on the day of Estet’s murder. He said his Gem has been staying on his island since last week. Mr. Takatori ended the interview by telling this reporter that he fears for his life and he is retreating to his island to wait out the storm. This is Mai Kusanagi, reporting live for CNN.” 

Yohji muted the television. “What a perfect reason to go to his island at this critical time.” 

“Yeah,” Omi agreed. “In this way, no one would be able to question him and he had a plausible reason as to why he beef up the security at his island too.” 

“It also solved another question for us,” Birman added. “When is Takatori performing the Forging?” 

“Tonight,” Ran replied confidently. “He would have to start the Forging tonight. He can only stay on the island for so long before people become suspicious. The Forging starts at the stroke of midnight; we have to get there before then.” 

“It will be best to operate under the cover of darkness,” Omi mused. “Minimize the risk of being detected.” 

Ran shifted forward to have a better look at the map. “Here,” he pointed. “We can land here, on the west beach of the island. It is the closest landing site to the mansion. And from there, I can lead you straight to the rooftop where he will doing the Forging.” 

“Security?” Omi inquired. 

“Here, here and here. These are the weak spots. But we can’t risk any light.” 

“Not a problem. That’s what night vision goggles are for.” 

They spent the next hour discussing and planning their attack before Omi, sensing everyone’s growing fatigue, called it a day.

“I don’t think there’s anymore we can do at this point,” Omi said. “The rest we have to wing it as we go along. Better get some rest. Takatori won’t be an easy target to take down. Um, Birman, could you-?” 

“Get hold of a speedboat for you?” Birman finished his request. “Leave it to me, Weiss.” 

“Thanks, Birman. Okay, that’s it. We’ll meet here again at eight o’clock.” 

They dispersed. 

Ran followed Yohji to the nearest bedroom, concerned with his lover’s well being. Yohji had tried to hide it but Ran could see the stiffness in his posture and the ginger way he carried himself. His lover’s healing wounds were still bothering him quite a bit. 

While Yohji headed straight for the double bed, Ran made sure the door was securely closed before joining his blond lover. In silent companionship, he helped Yohji out of his borrowed shirt and carefully eased him back onto the soft bed, noting the soft sigh of relief escaping the blond. 

Ran sat down next to Yohji, placing a cool hand lightly over the angry red scar in his abdomen. “Better now?” 

“Much.” 

Brooding amethyst eyes lowered to the scar as Ran carefully traced the healing ridge of skin, wishing he could go back in time and stop himself from hurting his lover so badly. He stopped when a tanned hand clasped over his fingers. 

“Don’t beat yourself over it,” Yohji told him firmly. “It was never your fault.” He gently pulled Ran down until the redhead was half-lying on his upper torso, facing him. 

Ran relaxed as he rested his head on Yohji’s chest. He sighed, enjoying the sensation of Yohji stroking his cheek, the long graceful fingers playing with a crimson eartail. 

Amethyst eyes, glimmering with love and worry, locked with somber and tender verdant green. 

On one hand, he was worried to death what Takatori would do to his sister. On the other, he was fretting over his lover’s future. How would Yohji take it if they did succeed in killing Takatori, thus indirectly killing him as well? Ran remembered how shattered Yohji had been when the Riot prostitute died in order to save him. What would this do to the sensitive blond man? 

Ran reached up and lightly traced Yohji’s features with his fingertips. “What did I do to deserve you?” he wondered aloud. “How did you come to mean so much to me? More than life itself?” 

Silently, Yohji kissed the roving fingertips as they glided past his mouth. 

“I’m worried, Yohji. If you go, I’m afraid that Takatori will kill you. But if we succeed and you live, I’m afraid what my death will do to you.” 

“I’ll be fine, really.” 

“Don’t give me that bullshit.” 

“Can’t hide it from you, can I?” Yohji remarked lightly. 

The corners of Ran’s mouth turned down unhappily. “Don’t do that.” 

“I’m sorry. I’ll be fine, I guarantee.” 

But Ran couldn’t help worrying. There was darkness in Yohji’s green eyes even though he tried to hide it behind his usual confident and charming self. Ran was sure Yohji would not be able to walk away from his action unscathed, afraid guilt might overwhelm Yohji, push him over the edge. The thought of it was enough to make Ran’s heart clenched with fear. 

“I love you,” Ran told him softly. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I’d never regret knowing you.” 

He leaned forward and kissed Yohji. 

“Live for me, Yohji.” Ran murmured against the cherished lips. “Promise you’ll live for me?” 

“Ran...” 

“Promise me,” Ran pled. 

“I promise. I can’t deny you anything.” Yohji kissed him back. 

Willingly, Ran sank into the kiss, yielding to the insistent warmth of Yohji’s tongue seeking to claim him. Eyes falling shut, he dueled gently with Yohji’s tongue, determined to give all of himself to Yohji. He needed this contact, this closeness with the man he loved. This was the last time they would be together, and he wanted, needed to make every moment count. 

Suddenly, their kiss turned desperate. 

Overwhelmed by the need to feel Yohji’s bare skin on his, Ran tried to take off his own shirt without breaking the kiss. His fingers fumbled on the buttons and finally, with a growl of frustration, he simply tore off the shirt and tossed it aside, not caring about the buttons he ripped off in the process. 

Yohji chuckled but silently gave him a hand with his sweatpants. Finally naked, Ran wrapped his arms about Yohji’s neck as he cuddled close, sighing in contentment. 

“Yohji...” he muttered his lover’s name, moving to straddle him. 

His eyes flew open when he felt Yohji’s sudden wince of pain, and instantly realized where he was sitting on. Swiftly, he shifted away, relieving the added pressure to Yohji’s wounded abdomen. “Gomen!” 

“It’s okay,” Yohji smiled wanly at him. “Just wasn’t expecting it.” 

“Poor thing,” Ran murmured. “Let me do the work then.” 

Ran leaned forward again and kissed him deeply. His hands traveled south, caressing and stroking the hard angular planes of Yohji’s torso, fingertips running up and down the pectorals before lightly grazing over the flat brown nipples. 

Yohji took a sharp intake of breath, forcing himself to lie still as Ran broke the kiss and began to nibble on his neck. He shuddered at the sensation of those soft lips and teeth licking and delicately biting the sensitive skin, the feel of cool fingers playing with his nipples. 

“Ran...” he moaned huskily, one hand reaching up to cradle the crimson head close. He could feel himself getting hard, the blood rushing south to his groin. 

“Remember this, Yohji.” Ran muttered against the heated golden skin as he continued pressing nibbling kisses across the collarbone and down the smooth chest. 

“Never forget,” Yohji answered, his breathing starting to get harsh and heavy. He groaned as Ran gently licked his nipple, before taking the peaked nub of flesh into the cool orifice of his mouth, sucking and biting lightly. He toyed with Yohji’s other nipple, sending twin bolts of sensation through Yohji. Yohji’s groan changed into a breathless shout when he felt a cool hand slipped into his pants and caressed his erection. 

Ran lifted his head, smiling a little at the sight of his lover, flushed and so very aroused. Sitting back, he reached down and slowly freed Yohji from his pants, wanting to see his lover’s proud erection. 

“Do you remember the night we first made love?” he asked. 

Yohji gave him a heated sultry smile. “How can I forget? You were so very beautiful.” 

“And so were you.” Ran tossed aside the pants and sat down between Yohji’s open thighs. “When you finally took off your clothes, I remember thinking to myself how much you reminded me of the sun.” 

“Sun?” 

“Hai.” Heated amethyst eyes traveled down the length of Yohji’s naked body. “All golden skin and compact strength. You glow, my love, in that darkened bedroom, of life and freedom. I remember thinking to myself how very lucky I was to have you for a lover.” 

Pale slender hands gently encircled Yohji’s thick throbbing length. It was as hard as the rest of his lover, warm as well. Ran stroked the entire length of it, up and down several times, watching in fascination as a single drop of precum gathered at the head of it. 

“If I was the sun, then you were the moon.” Yohji shuddered as Ran slowly, reverently stroked his throbbing member. “You were all silver moon glow...glimmering, fey and pristine...pure and untouchable but you came down to me...You let me touch you and make love to you. It was...the most precious gift I have ever received.” 

“That’s because you deserve it. No one else could see the real me beneath the Blood Diamond.” Ran bent his head and the tip of his pink tongue emerged to daintily licked up the drop of precum glistening at the tip of Yohji’s erection. He was instantly addicted. Yohji’s taste was so different from Takatori; he tasted of goodness and sun, everything his master was not. 

He gave the throbbing erection one firm luxurious lick from root to head before exploring the tiny slit with his tongue. His eyes fluttered close as he took the engorged tip into his mouth, working at it with his teeth and tongue, the sounds of Yohji’s pleasure filling his ears. 

Oh, Yohji, if our lives were different, I would stay with you forever.

Ran took the whole length into his mouth, suppressing his gag reflex to allow Yohji’s erection slide down his throat until he reached the root. Above him, Yohji groaned and his hips thrust once involuntarily to drive himself further down Ran’s throat. Ran felt a hand on his head, holding him down and began to suck Yohji off earnestly. 

So many ‘what-ifs’...I wish we never have to part, not like this. 

Ran gently released Yohji’s erection and shifted upward until he straddled Yohji, legs apart and his weight supported on his knees on either side of Yohji. Tanned hands reached up and clasped about his hips; he covered those hands with his own pale ones and lowered himself down onto Yohji’s erection. 

His eyes fluttered close, head tipped back, as he felt the tight ring of his entrance gave way to the pushing hardness of Yohji’s member. It was painful at first because he did not prepare himself, but the pain was swiftly overwhelmed by the pleasure of Yohji filling him. Ran moaned as he continued his descent until Yohji was fully seated within him. 

“So beautiful,” Yohji muttered through his rapid breathing, green eyes bright with desire and love greedily devouring the sight of his lover impaling himself on his member. The sensation of that tight channel encasing him, squeezing his length with every thrust Ran made threatened to shut his brain down. 

“You are so good to me, Yohji.” Ran panted, amethyst eyes heavy-lidded, yet glinting with emotions. “No one else treat me like I’m a person. How could I not fall in love with you?” 

Ran brought those tanned hands up to his mouth, kissing them, as he slowly rode Yohji. “I love these hands of yours...how clean they could make me feel. I love you, Yohji Kudoh.” 

“Beautiful love,” Yohji moaned. “Fly with me...” 

He reached down to Ran’s erection, wanting to give him the same pleasure he was feeling. But Ran shook his head and gently placed Yohji’s hands on his hips. 

“Later,” he gasped softly. “You first.” 

Yohji moaned again as Ran’s channel squeezed him again, bringing him closer to the edge. “Ran...my sweet love...god...” 

They moved together, picking up in speed and intensity, until Yohji could not hold back any longer and he came with a shout that could be heard outside the chalet, shuddering deeply as he spilled his hot seed into his lover’s channel. He slumped back against the pillow, panting as Ran continued to move above him, milking him of the last few drops. Then gathering his strength, Yohji coaxed Ran to shift upwards until the tip of his pale rosy erection nudged against Yohji’s lips. 

“Yohji?” Ran murmured, not exactly catching on. 

“Your turn, sweetheart.” 

Ran gasped as Yohji took his erection into his mouth, his length sliding so smoothly down his lover’s throat that it left him dizzy and ready to collapse from the pleasure. Only the firm hands cradling the twin melons of his bottom prevented him from falling over. He grasped the headboard, amethyst eyes glazing over with desire as he looked down into the tender verdant green eyes of his lover. He thought he could make out the thoughts shining in that beloved gaze – Yohji’s thoughts of love and endearments – as Yohji reciprocated the pleasure Ran had given him. 

And Ran smiled, his breath coming in short rapid pants and sweat covered them. He thrust faster, hips moving ever so restlessly as the climax rushed upon him and broke like a dam giving way. Ran tossed his head back, crying out as he came. This was so good, the best because it was with the man he loved. Body still quivering in the aftermath and his mind clouded with a pleasurable haze, Ran gasped as he suddenly found himself on his back and Yohji hugging him in a tight embrace. 

“I will miss you,” Yohji confessed in a choked voice next to his ear. “I will miss you so much...” 

Biting his lip, Ran buried his face in Yohji’s shoulder, returning his death grip as well. 

“All the time in the world is not enough.” Yohji continued nearly inaudibly, his eyes squeezed shut against the tears that threatened to fall. “I want an eternity with you.” 

Silently they clung to each other in desperate love and need, wishing there was another way but knowing there was none. 

This was their last time together and by dawn the next day, they would be separated by the great divide forever. 

________________________________________

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

It was full night when Weiss gathered again in the living room of the safe house. Birman was calm and unruffled, while Omi and Ken waited for Weiss’s absent field leader and his lover. 

“Are they really going to go through this?” Ken wondered aloud. 

“They have to,” Omi replied sadly. “It was never a choice for them. Even if they didn’t love each other, Yohji’s conscience will not allow him to run away and Ran can’t because of his sister.” 

“But will Yohji be able to cope?” Ken’s worried gaze strayed to the staircase. “I’ve never seen him so devoted to someone before.” 

“I don’t know either, Ken-kun. But we’ll be there for him. As much as we can.” 

They fell silent when they heard the footsteps descending on the stairs. 

Yohji appeared, clad once more in his assassin gear. He was uncharacteristically silent and grim-faced, his expression concealed behind his ever-present shades. 

Next to him, clasping Yohji’s hand, Ran was his usual icy self but his appearance surprised the others. Somehow the Gem looked perfectly normal, an ordinary if strikingly handsome red-haired young man, clad in a dark maroon trench coat and carrying a sheathed katana by his side. They wondered how the Gem managed to get hold of what were obviously his clothes. 

“Ready?” Yohji asked. 

Omi and Ken nodded. 

“The speedboat is tied up outside at the pier,” Birman said. “It’s all fueled and ready to go. Here’s a present for you.” She pushed over a small box. Inside, nestled within shock-absorbent form were four headsets. 

“Thank you.” Yohji distributed the headsets to his friends and lover. 

“Thank me when you get back,” the Kritiker agent replied. “Good luck, boys. I’ll be here waiting.” 

“Shall we go?” Omi asked. 

“Matte,” Ran spoke up. 

They turned expectedly to the redhead, blinking in surprise when Ran gracefully executed a dignified low bow. 

“Arigatou gozaimasu,” he said solemnly. 

Birman answered with a low bow of hers, sensing the depth of sincerity the redhead was trying to convey. “You’re most welcomed, Fujimiya-san.” 

Yohji smiled grimly. “Iko. Takatori is waiting.”

* * *

It was hard for Yohji to keep his mind on the mission, even harder for him to ignore the gnawing pain heavy in his chest. As the speedboat raced across the waves with Ken at the wheel, he could not keep his gaze off his redhead lover guiding Ken through the darkness.

Ran stood tall and straight at the front of the speedboat, crimson red hair wildly disheveled by the wind, like a pale marble statue proud and aloof. He was fully focused on the mission, Yohji could tell from Aya’s hard non-existing expression, but occasionally Aya’s gaze would stray towards him and the icy hardness would soften ever so slightly and Yohji could glimpse the sadness and agony within the amethyst depths.  
This mission was equally hard on his lover. But it had to be done. 

Takatori could not be allowed to create a second Gem. It was up to Weiss, no matter the reason, to stop him at all cost. 

They finally reached Takatori’s island after an hour’s ride. Yohji jumped out of the speedboat in the shallow waters. Together with Ken, they towed the speedboat towards the rocky outcrop jutting out to the sea and concealed it among the rocks with a camouflage netting as well. Now it was up to Ran to lead them to the mansion. Yohji fell in step with his lover, while Ken and Omi brought up the rear. 

“I don’t sense the wards,” Yohji muttered. “He must have taken down them down already.” 

Ran’s eyes narrowed. “It’s too early though. Takatori is paranoid; he never took them down until the last minute.” 

“Do you think he knows we’re coming?” Ken whispered. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Yohji replied. “We still have to get to him. All we can do is stay alert.” 

Ran nodded. “This way.” 

Stealth was their main advantage as they pushed deeper into enemy’s territory. True to Ran’s words, he got them past the three security lines effortlessly. They headed uphill to where the mansion perched on the highest point of the island, darkened and foreboding, as though deterring any visitors. It was a long trek but they made it at last. Hunkering down behind the bushes, Yohji peered around the leaves, checking for patrolling guards. They were hidden at the edge of the mansion’s lawns, a broad open area they had to cross in order to reach the mansion. 

“See that side porch door?” Ran whispered, pointing to the said door. “We can go in by that door.” 

“Right.” Yohji checked the coast once more and satisfied that it was clear, rose and sprinted across the lawn. 

In matter of minutes, he was at the door, deftly picked the lock and was inside. Ran was next, followed by Ken and then Omi. The second the youngest Weiss was through, Yohji carefully shut the door and relocked it again. 

This was where they would split up. 

Omi and Ken headed for the basement, where Ran had told them was a room that stored weapons and ammunitions. It would be their job to destroy the weapon cache and use the resulting fire as a diversion for Weiss’s escape. 

Yohji and Ran’s goal was obvious: find Aya-chan and terminate Takatori. 

As Yohji followed his lover through the mansion, he was struck at how silent and empty the mansion seemed to be, bereft of human warmth and life. If it wasn’t for the occasional party Takatori threw, this mansion might as well be a neglected possession. 

Ran soon stopped before a door, tested the knob and opened it. “Through here,” he murmured softly, slipping into the darkened room. 

Yohji followed, hesitating when he recognized the room instantly. 

It was the same room he had blundered into the last time he was here – Ran’s bedroom. Then Ran’s bedroom had reminded him of an exotic Arabian harem, with blue and lavender silk and translucent gauze curtains partitioning the room into a mini labyrinth filled with the relaxing scent of lavender and bergamot, warmed and lit by oil lamps. 

Now no oil lamp lit the room, the air was cold and sharp and the curtains flapped forlornly in the chilly breeze from the window. It was a stark contrast to the exotic atmosphere of the past. 

“Ran?” 

“My room is connected to Takatori’s suite,” Ran explained softly as he confidently wove his way through the labyrinth. “We can bypass the security cameras using this route.” 

The door was hidden behind a lavender drape. Ran opened the plain wooden door, revealing a dark narrow passageway beyond. “Takatori’s bedroom is beyond there.” He moved to enter the passageway but Yohji stopped him. 

“Let me take the lead.” Yohji ducked his head, too tall for the entrance, and cautiously made his way through the passageway. It was a short journey before he came face to face with a closed door. Warily, he pushed open the door a crack. With the aid of his night vision, he could make out the details of the room beyond. Somehow he wasn’t surprised to find it was Takatori’s bedroom, richly furnished and decorated. 

Right now, the bedroom was dark and empty. 

Satisfied that they were alone, that they had not attracted any attention, Yohji stepped out into the room. He paused when his gaze fell onto the huge canopied bed; beside him, he could sense Ran stiffening. 

The young girl Yohji had seen only once before slumbered in the canopied bed. Her sweet calm face was composed and relaxed; her hands clasped together on her stomach. She wore a simple white gown and her long hair fell loosely about her shoulders, spread across the pillow. Virginal, pure, unknowing, Aya-chan looked exactly like the sacrificial offering she was intended to be. 

“Aya...” Ran rushed over to the bed. 

Yohji followed more slowly, eyes and ears peeled for any signs of trouble. His instincts were all rebelling against this find. It seemed too easy, too coincidental. And Yohji never believed in coincidence. His fears were confirmed when Ran suddenly let out a gasp of surprise. The redhead stared in astonishment at his hand passing through Aya-chan’s sleeping face. 

“Wha-?” Ran tried to touch his sister again but she was as insubstantial as a mist. Suddenly his head jerked up, dismay turning swiftly into tight-lipped anger. 

“Shimatta,” Yohji cursed. He spun round to where he sensed the sudden buildup of power, calling upon his own power. “ _Contega_!” 

Just in time, he summoned his shield to deflect the deadly bolt of red lightning shooting towards him. Behind him, the illusion of Aya-chan swiftly lunged upwards, hands outstretched for Ran’s throat. The redhead recoiled hastily, drawing his katana and in one slash, destroyed the murderous illusion. 

Both men stood back to back, Ran with his katana drawn and Yohji with his watch-bearing arm held up defensively. 

The light suddenly came on. Yohji bit back a cry of pain as he tore his shades from his face, the abrupt flare of brilliance in the night vision hurting his eyes. Temporarily blinded, he felt Ran maneuvering to stand protectively before him but could not see Takatori materializing at the far end of the room. 

“What’s this? Hiding behind your human guise, Ran?” Takatori said. “And is that your lover? I’m disappointed.” 

“Takatori,” Ran spat the name venomously. “Where is my sister?” 

“She is safe. After all, I promised she wouldn’t be harmed.” 

“You lie.” Ran raised his katana, amethyst eyes burning with hatred and fury. “I know everything you did to my family. I know what you’re going to do to my sister. Give her back to me!” 

“Poor foolish Ran. Do you think you can go up against me and win? You’re my Gem, to do as I bid.” 

“He’s not yours,” Yohji retorted unexpectedly. “He was never yours, not in the way that really matters.” 

“Love-besotted fool,” Takatori sneered. “To risk so much for him. Still I can’t blame you. Ran is one of a kind. You should thank me, Weiss, for training him to be so good in bed.” 

Ran snarled. 

Katana held high, he charged at the man he hated with every fiber of his being. He was barely halfway across the room when he stumbled suddenly and collapsed to his knees, katana clattering to the floor. Gritting his teeth, he fought against the tremendous strength of Takatori’s willpower crushing upon his, battling mightily to reassert his own will and stand. 

Glaring violet eyes suddenly tore away from his master when he sensed the abrupt swelling of dark power. 

“Watch, Ran.” Takatori grinned in anticipation. “Watch how my wraith-hounds tear your lover from limb to limb.” 

Yohji watched the pooling shadows gathering about him with dread, hair rising on the back of his neck. One, two, three, four, shit, five black wraith-hounds rapidly materialized inside the bedroom, all gleaming fangs and bloodthirsty red eyes. 

“Have fun, gentlemen.” Takatori said, retreating from the room. 

“Takatori! Come back here, you bastard!” Ran yelled. “Takatoriii!!” Gashing his teeth in helpless anger and fear, Ran turned his gaze to the wraith-hounds. The dogs were all ignoring him in favor of stalking Yohji. 

“Yohji, run!” 

“I can’t outrun a pack.” 

“They will tear you apart!” 

“So I just have to destroy them first. Can you fight whatever he did to you?” 

“I’m trying,” Ran strained against the mental binding. It took every ounce of his willpower and sweat was beading upon his face when he finally made his fingers twitch. 

Faster, I need to break free faster. He thought desperately. I need to help Yohji!

Yohji threw up a shield just as a wraith-hound crashed full into it, causing him to stagger from the force of the impact. Simultaneously, he aimed a fire spell, setting one ablaze but it just shook it off. Another wraith-hound pounced on him from behind. The blond frantically twisted around, throwing out lines of power to tangle the beast, jumping onto the bed and across it to avoid the other three wraith-hounds. He flung a rain of golden lightning but the beasts avoided the deadly shower with uncanny speed. 

The wraith-hounds were too fast and they worked in a pack, which made them even deadlier. Yohji was forced to stay on the defensive, soon unable to retaliate effectively for they came too quickly and too aggressively. Even then, staying on the defensive was draining his power more than he liked. 

Free! Ran shook with the effort of trying to move. _Mustgetfreemustgetfree. I. Must. Get. FREE!_

A scream of defiance tearing from his throat, Ran exerted his own will. The heavy paralysis weakened and then suddenly he broke free in a rush of adrenaline that banished Takatori’s will fully from his body. Surging to his feet, Ran snatched up his katana and joined the fray. “GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

Furious, the redhead hurled a ball of pure wild magic at one of the wraith-hound, ruthlessly obliterating it with his overwhelming power. The wraith-hounds hesitated, the entry of a new adversary throwing them off-guard. 

Lines of power shimmered into existence, swiftly winding about two of the hounds. With a gesture, Yohji tightened the lines, cutting the trapped hounds into shreds. 

Growling, the remaining two wraith-hounds leapt towards them. 

Ran spun, katana slashing in a deadly arc as he channeled his power through the blade, stabbing viciously into the black body hurtling towards him. A howl of pain shattered the night as he blasted it with his power again. Behind him, Yohji impaled the last wraith-hound on a spear of crackling energy. 

Yohji backed away from the dead wraith-hounds, panting hard. The battle had taken more out of him than he cared to admit. “You broke free,” he gasped to Ran. “Of his influence.” 

“Hai,” Ran was somewhat stunned that he really did it. 

“Good, good. Maybe this will give us a fighting chance.” Regaining his breath, Yohji made for the direction Takatori had took. “This is bound to alert the guards. Come on!” 

Together, both men took off after their enemy. 

“Bombay to Balinese,” came the sudden call over their headset. 

“Balinese here.” 

“Hornet nest has been disturbed. We’re done and heading for your position but might be delayed. Where are you?” 

“The rooftop,” Ran replied. 

“Will be there ASAP.” 

“Roger that. Balinese out.” Yohji briefly glanced up the stairwell to check on their progress. “How much further, Ran?” 

“We’re nearing it.” Ran’s voice was terse. “Faster, Yohji. I can sense the wild magic building up. He’s going to start the Forging!” 

Both men soon burst onto the roof, skidding to an abrupt halt at the scene spread out before them. 

Aya-chan, wearing the simple white gown, lay on a cloth-covered altar. Takatori stood next to her, arms raised to the heavens as he spoke the words of the Forging. Above him, descending in a fiery spiral was pure magic, wild magic that roiled and seethed with a disturbingly fierce intensity. Even from this distance, both men could feel the feral heat permeating the air. 

Like a dragon on rampage, the wave of wild magic plummeted to the roof, engulfing Takatori and Aya-chan, spilling across the rooftop in fiery waves. 

“AYA!” 

Frantically, Ran lunged across the rooftop, heedlessly plunging into the magical inferno to save his beloved sister. 

Yohji followed, summoning up a shield to protect both men from the burning power. Stumbling through the firewall, they emerged into the eye of the storm. The spiraling circle of wild magic was tightening around them but for now, Aya-chan remained untouched. 

Taken aback by their presence, Takatori scowled at them in astonished fury. “You-!” 

“Takatori! SHI-NE!” Ran roared. He lunged, his katana flashing red in the magical flames. 

The sound of steel ringing upon steel was distinct over the dull roar of the wild magic. Surprised, Ran stumbled backwards as Takatori threw him off. A katana, called from thin air, rested firmly in the older man’s grip. 

“Fool,” Takatori snarled. “If you disrupt the Forging, she will die!” 

“You haven’t started yet!” Yohji darted up to the altar, grabbed Aya-chan and dashed off, jumping through the firewall to get clear. Sometimes, the simplest method of snatch-and-run was the best. 

“NO!” Takatori started after the blond but Ran swiftly blocked his path. 

Katana held aloft, Ran smiled, a decidedly unpleasant smile. “It’s just you and me now, Takatori. Prepare to die.” 

* * *

Staggering through the infernal wall of wild magic, the first thing Yohji saw was the door to the stairwell bursting open and black-suited men poured onto the rooftop. Promptly, Yohji summoned up a gust of wind, blasting them backwards and slammed the door shut. A small figure suddenly darted by him and slapped an ofuda onto the door, sealing it magically. 

Then Omi ran up to him. “Yohji! Is this the girl?!” 

“Hai.” Yohji glanced over to see Ken climbing over the edge of the roof. “You took a shortcut.” 

“We didn’t have time to fight all those goons.” Omi hunkered down beside him. “Guess what? Manx is on her way in a chopper.” 

“Good.” Yohji rose to his feet, his thoughts with his lover. “Bombay, Siberian, protect Aya-chan and make sure she get out of here alive and safe. Once Manx is here, blow up the place.” 

Without waiting for their consent, Yohji turned and ran back to the burning altar where his lover was – fighting a duel to the death.

* * *

Surrounded by wild magic burning on all sides, Ran and Takatori fought, swords clashing frequently. It was a furious physical fight, both of them hemmed in too-close quarters to cast magic properly without receiving the backlash. For a long while, they battled mightily to gain the upper hand but to no avail. While Ran had superior speed, he lacked in skill and experience. Takatori more than made up for his human slowness and bulk in those two areas. 

“Is this all you have?” Takatori taunted. 

“It’s more than enough to deal with you!” Ran lunged and slashed, turning gracefully to follow as Takatori dodged his blow. 

Steel met steel before parting again. 

“I taught you everything you know about fighting,” Takatori sneered. “I know all your tricks, Ran. You can’t hope to win this fight.” 

“Don’t underestimate me.” For good measure, Ran feinted left and recklessly unleashed a huge blast of power at Takatori. 

It sent Takatori flying backwards, even as the backlash threw him off his feet as well. Scrambling to rise, Ran pressed his advantage, sprinting the distance that separated him from Takatori. 

An invisible force slammed into him, hurling him away. Ran fell, his katana falling from his slack grip. Wheezing, he struggled to get up but the same invisible force knocked him flat again and held him down on the floor. No matter how much he tried, he could not break free. Furious violet eyes glared up at Takatori as the man staggered over to him, his katana glinting ominously in the red light of the burning wild magic. 

“No one shall stop me,” Takatori hissed. “Not you, not Weiss, no one! I shall owe the world!” 

He lifted his katana, point aimed at Ran’s heart. 

Silvery lines of power shimmered into existence behind Takatori, whipping out to entangle his limbs and restraining him. The katana fell from his bounded hands, clattering to the ground near Ran. Takatori gasped in pain as the lines tightened and yanked at him, making him stumble backwards and breaking his concentration. 

The invisible force dissipated. 

Ran surged to his feet, snatching up Takatori’s katana. In that single moment, his focus crystallized, every bit of his being channeled into making the killing blow. Vengeful violet gaze fixed on Takatori, he took pleasure in seeing the man’s eyes widening in sudden horror and fear, the denial forming and dying on Takatori’s lips. Saw the disbelief and agony twisting Takatori’s face as Ran buried the katana deep in his gut. 

“You -” Takatori choked out. 

“Shi-ne,” Ran said flatly. 

He twisted the katana, gutting Takatori and in a fluid move, cleaved the hated man nearly into halves. He watched coldly as the dead man crumpled to the ground, revealing Yohji who stood behind Takatori with the slack lines of power in his hand that vanished quickly. 

Ran blinked, the full impact of what he did hitting him. Disbelieving violet eyes met incredulous green eyes. Relief and joy rushed through Ran in a cold fierce wash and left him shaking very badly. The bloody katana fell from nerveless fingers unnoticed as Ran took shaky steps towards Yohji, reaching for his lover. 

I’m free, Ran thought dazedly. I’m free!

“Ran...” Shaking with utter relief, Yohji moved to sweep his lover into his embrace.

Heat suddenly flared up between them as wild magic rushed between the lovers and engulfed the Gem, pushing them apart. 

“Ran!” 

The Blood Diamond began to glow, brighter and brighter, with a pure white light until Yohji was forced to shield his eyes from the brilliance. 

“No!” Yohji howled in despair, unable to get close to his lover, unable to do anything except to watch helplessly. 

Despite the pain he must be in, Ran found the strength to smile – a sad and longing smile. He mouthed the words ‘I love you’ to his lover, violet eyes pleading for Yohji to go and leave while he could. 

“Yohji!” Omi burst through the wild magic and grabbed hold of his arm. “Manx is here! We got to go!” 

Yohji allowed Omi to drag him away, pained green eyes never leaving the conflagration consuming Ran. Over the dull roar of wild magic, he heard the sounds of a chopper hovering. Without hesitation, Omi scrambled up the rope ladder. Ken was above him, steadily climbing into the chopper with Aya-chan slung over his shoulder. Hand grasping the first rung, Yohji hesitated, still looking back at the raging power. 

The wild magic was taking back what was theirs. Ran was down on his knees, hunched over in pain or resignation, Yohji did not know. 

I promise I will free you; that I will live for you...

“Come on, Yohji!” Omi shouted down at him. “What are you waiting for?” 

The blond looked up at his friend, gifting him with a calm smile. “Take care of Aya-chan, Omi.” 

Stepping away from the ladder, Yohji calmly walked towards the inferno of wild magic. 

“Yohji?! Yohji! Come back here!” Omi’s shrill and panicked cry fell on deaf ears. 

Gomen nasai, Omi, Ken. I can’t live without him. 

Absently he took off his watch and tossed it away. His steps quickened until he was running headlong into the heat and wild magic. Words spilled from his mouth, murmured and quick. 

I’m sorry, Ran. But I can’t let you go.

Without hesitation, Yohji threw himself into the burning inferno, grasping the disintegrating body of Ran close. 

Forgive me...

________________________________________  
Chapter Twenty-Seven

Grief permeated the interior of the helicopter, a stunned sorrowful silence broken only by Omi’s sobbing. The youngest Weiss was curled up in Ken’s arms, crying his heart out and not caring if anyone else saw. There was nothing Ken could do, but to hold him tight, tears leaking from his own eyes as he wept as well. 

Manx could hardly bear to watch. She kept her gaze averted, struggling with her own sorrow as well. Of all the teams in Kritiker and Co, Weiss was her pride and joy and the three members who formed the team her personal favorites. 

She looked down at the slumbering girl lying comfortably across the seat. 

What a heavy price they paid. Estet Foundation and Takatori Enterprises were gone; they had stopped a madman’s bid for more power, saved the soul of an innocent young girl, but in return, lost one of their own. 

She still couldn’t believe what she had witnessed. 

Yohji had willingly followed his lover into the fires of wild magic, into death. 

Manx bit her lip, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. It was not fair. Not fair to Yohji, to Ran, to Ken and Omi, nor to the young girl next to her. It was all so not fair! 

“Where-?” The weak girlish voice almost did not penetrated the shroud of grief. 

Manx turned, hastily wiping her tears away as she looked. 

Dark purplish eyes, wide and innocent, stared right back. Confusion and bewilderment swirled in their depths as the gaze turned to the grieving boys and then back to her again. 

“Who are you?” Aya-chan asked in the same weak, dazed voice. “Where am I? Where is Ran-niichan?” 

Somehow, Manx managed to find a smile for the confused young girl. “Good morning, Aya-chan. I have so many things to tell you.”


	7. Gem-Stealer - 28 to 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. It’s been a long ride and I like to thank everyone who stayed with me, encouraged and supported me. I had a lot of fun writing ‘The Hope Diamond’ and I’m rather sad it’s all over. But you know what they say - all good things must come to an end.  
> I hope you guys like the ending. I had decided to end on a sweet and romantic mood, yet with a hint of darkness and uncertainty. I thought it was appropriate, considering what Yohji had done. Anyway, drop me your comments! I like to hear from you.  
> By the way, Weiss Kreuz Glühen made an appearance. See if you can spot it!

** Gem-Stealer **

The Dark Recession was a difficult and terrible decade. The sudden and total collapse of Estet Foundation and Takatori Enterprises in two consecutive days rocked the financial world and plunged every country into instant economic woes. 

The only surviving oligopoly was Kritiker and Co, and it too was hit hard by the sudden imbalance of power. Suspicions fell upon Kritiker, being the only oligopoly left standing. People accused the company and its head of destroying Estet Foundation and Takatori Enterprises through foul means. Persia had to work long and hard to dispel these suspicions but it would take a very long time before public confidence was restored. 

Being two of the three oligopolies, Estet Foundation and Takatori Enterprises’ downfall created a huge vacuum of power and stability. Subsidiary companies closed down, thousands of jobs were lost, and the Wall Street experienced a major crash. While inflation kept rising, the average people’s incomes did not increased, creating an untenable situation where it became increasingly difficult for ordinary people to maintain their lifestyles. Many people lost their fortunes and jobs overnight; the number of people plummeting to poverty level exploded. 

Following closely on the heels of the economic turmoil came political instability. In many countries, bush wars broke out. Many rebellions seized the opportunity to rise up against their native governments. The resources of the United Nations Peacekeepers were stretched thin in containing trouble spots scattered all over the world. 

Caught off guard, bewildered and frightened, people all over the world readily blamed Takatori’s Blood Diamond for the onset of the Dark Recession. They cursed his existence, blaming him for their economic woes and the dangerous times. In a poll done by CNN, many said that if the Gem was still alive, he should be punished for his crime against humanity. Equally many demanded that the UN ban the practice of Gem Forging. 

Needless to say, Gems were not the most popular or likeable creations during the Dark Recession. 

Then the rumors began, spreading like wildfire across the globe. Rumors that the Blood Diamond did not die with his master. That somehow, another powerful Techno-Mage killed Reiji Takatori and stole the Gem from him. They said the Blood Diamond had been re-Forged in the fires of wild magic – now a nameless Gem bound to the unknown Techno-Mage the rumors called the Gem Stealer. 

The rumors electrified the whole world. If the Blood Diamond still lived, he could be found and brought to justice. If his new master could be tracked down, they could kill him before the Gem’s curse strike again. 

The magical society was in an uproar, split evenly between those who believed the rumors were true and those who scoffed at the idea. But if the rumors were true, it would destroy the dogma held by the Techno-Mages for a full millennium. Everything they believed about Gems would have to be rewritten. 

The UN Governing Council of Techno-Mages, naturally, wanted proof so they could render the proper judgment. To this end, they dispatched their agents to find evidence to sustain the rumors. 

For other Techno-Mages, their intentions were less honorable. The rumors led them to believe that they could steal the Gem for their private gains. Greedy for the power and fortunes the Gem could bring them, unscrupulous Techno-Mages with the means and resources sent out their own clandestine agents. 

However, no one really knew where and how to look. 

Nobody knew the original identity of the former Blood Diamond. Reiji Takatori had been so possessive and jealous of his Gem that he left behind no documents, no photos that would pierce the shroud of mystery around his Gem’s background. The only clue was a privately run hospital once owned by Takatori Enterprises but it ended in an empty ward and missing medical records. If the Gem were to walk unmasked in broad daylight, no one would even recognize him. 

The same went for the Gem Stealer. He, like the former Blood Diamond, was a complete unknown. No one knew the Techno-Mage’s face, his Discipline or even whether he was a male. Some had insisted the Gem Stealer was a female instead. If someone did know who he was, they were not talking. 

Still the total lack of clues did not deter the greedy treasure hunters. 

For the idea of owing a Gem without going through the deadly Forging was incredibly seductive.

________________________________________

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

It was a sunny summer day, with cloudless blue sky and a gentle cool breeze blowing in from the ocean. The little out-of-the-way cemetery at the cliff-side hill was a picturesque landscape of green grass, the shady tree and tiny dots laid out in neat rows across the hill. Not many people visited this cemetery and on this fine summer day, the cemetery saw only one visitor. 

“...Been tough without you. We’ve been together for so long now it’s hard to adjust to your absence. It’s been a year and we still miss you.” Omi sighed, sitting back on his hunches, and gazed at the plain black marble tombstone before him. A single joss stick was planted in the ground before the tombstone; next to it was a small pretty bouquet of white roses. 

Written on the black tombstone in simple gold lettering were a name, a birth date and the date of death. 

Every member of Weiss had an empty grave to their name, since they were all legally dead. Although this particular grave was still empty, it now held a new meaning for Omi. The authorities never found the body and Omi never truly believed that he was dead, even though Kritiker had officially declared him dead. Still the tombstone was the closest he could get to his friend, the last link to Yohji Kudoh. 

It had been a full year since Yohji died in the fires of wild magic. A full year since Yohji chose death and his lover over life and his friends. 

It hadn’t been easy to get over Yohji’s death. The three of them had been together for so long, living, working and killing. The bond forged in blood and death and survival wasn’t a bond that could be easily broken. Omi and Ken mourned for weeks; their concentration suffered so much that they could not even operate the flower shop, much less carrying out the missions. 

Finally, they requested for Weiss to disband. It just didn’t feel right without Yohji anymore. Besides they had Aya-chan to take care of. How would they explain their real jobs to the innocent sixteen-year-old girl? They already found it impossible to tell her the truth about her brother’s fate. 

Surprisingly enough, Persia granted their request. Omi suspected that Persia was too busy containing the fallout from Estet and Takatori’s collapse and asserting Kritiker’s control over their former domains to give their request much contemplation. 

Whatever the reason, both of them found themselves freed to lead their own lives, although still under assumed identities. They took Aya-chan back to her native country and started a new life there, determined to stay away from Magnopolis. They opened a new flower shop; Omi enrolled himself in the high school near their home and in addition, Ken somehow managed to get himself appointed as the coach for the neighborhood elementary school’s football team. 

They led a peaceful life now, happy and contented but sometimes they still found themselves missing Yohji and Aya-chan still inquired about her brother. They didn’t know if they had the right to tell her the truth about her brother; all they could say was that her brother gave up his life to save hers. 

This was Omi’s first visit to Yohji’s native country, and he wondered if he should erect a second tombstone next to Yohji’s for his lover. 

“Tell Ran,” Omi said, “that Aya-chan is adjusting well. There were rough moments but she got through them with admirable courage. She’s back in school, catching up with absolute brilliance and helping out in the flower shop whenever she could. Do you know Aya-chan has many fanboys who come just to moon over her? 

“I’m not sure if I should tell her about her brother though. She has a right to know everything but somehow I have this feeling Ran wouldn’t want her to know.” Omi sighed again and glanced at his watch. “Ken-kun is late. He had that soccer match earlier, so he couldn’t come with me. But he did promised to catch the earliest possible flight.” 

“Omi!” 

“Speak of the devil.” Omi smiled at the brunette running towards him. 

“Sorry,” Ken apologized. “The flight was delayed.” 

Omi rose to his feet, stepping aside to let Ken pay his respects. “That’s all right. Knowing Yohji, he would say he has all the time in the world now to wait for a certain slowpoke.” 

Ken knelt to pay his respects, after which he sat back on his hunches and gazed at the black tombstone. “Do you really think he’s dead?” he asked finally. 

“I don’t believe he is. Then again, I’m probably still in denial.” 

Ken chuckled. He rose to his feet, dusting off his jeans. “Same here too.” 

“It doesn’t matter what we think.” Omi tilted his face to the sky, enjoying the cool sea breeze. “Wherever they are, I’m sure they’re together and finally happy. That’s the only thing that matter now.” 

“Absolutely.”

________________________________________

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

“Thank you! And please come again!” Aya-chan handed the customer the change with her bright sunny smile. With the flower shop empty once more, she began cleaning up the worktable, humming softly under her breath. 

She still couldn’t believe that she had been in a coma for ten years. The redhead lady had explained a lot of things to her. But recuperating in a strange country where she didn’t recognize a single thing, it didn’t felt real. It was only when she returned home and discovered everything looked different, did the shock finally sank in. 

Her family was gone, parents dead and brother presumably dead as well. Her home was long razed to the ground, her friends all grown up and moved away. Even the familiar landmarks looked different, older and more worn somehow. There was nothing left from her past. She was a stranger in her own land, and the only thing that was familiar was the single gold earring she held on somehow during her coma. 

The first night back in her country, she broke down and cried, mourning the loss of time and people she loved, painfully aware that she could never bring them back. It had all been too much for her. If Ken and Omi hadn’t stayed and supported her, she honestly didn’t know if she could cope. 

A year on, Aya-chan was getting a better grip on things. She had settled in comfortably in the three-story shop-and-apartment building they owed, performing well in school and all the rehabilitation programs she had to go through in order to be re-assimilated into society. She made new friends and was close and equally protective of Ken and Omi. 

But still... 

She missed her brother and parents. 

She had visited her family’s grave. It felt odd to see her name on the tombstone, sobering even. It brought home the cold hard fact that she could no longer lead a life under her own name. The people whom Ken and Omi used to work for told her that both Fujimiya siblings had been declared legally dead for reasons they refused to diverge, and that it was too risky for everyone, including her, to legally resurrect her. 

They told her many things, including how Reiji Takatori had been caring for her during those years, and that Ran worked for him to pay off her hospital bills and waited patiently for her to wake up. She couldn’t help but cry when she heard that. 

Her beloved nii-chan never gave up on her. But where was he now? And what did he do during those ten years? 

She asked Ken and Omi several times but they always evaded her questions. She could tell her questions made them uncomfortable and sad. All they would say nii-chan sacrificed his life to save hers, and strangely enough, neither Ken nor Omi knew her brother well. 

The situation was odd. There were so many questions she could not get answers to. Even the redhead lady had balked when she inquired after her brother, and Aya-chan no longer saw her after she left Magnopolis. And the most frustrating thing was there was nothing she could do about it. Except to accept the situation as it was and tried her best to get on with life. But it was so hard – because she couldn’t believe her brother was dead. 

The entrance bell tinkled again. 

Aya-chan looked up, her sunny smile ready to welcome her next customer and blinked. 

Standing at the entrance was a handsome and the most outlandishly dressed man she had seen in some time. He was tall and practically oozed charm and sensuality. He took off the brown cowboy-looking hat, revealing short-cropped blond hair and a sensually handsome face. Verdant green eyes sparkled with humor and cheer, and an unlit cigarette dangled from the corner of his well-formed lips. The man wore a hip-length brown coat, shirtless, open to reveal his broad well-defined chest. His brown pants were leather, clung low to his hips and decorated with two belts. Brown boots completed his outfit. 

“Welcome,” Aya-chan greeted. “Can I help you?” 

The man walked, no, sashayed (she couldn’t find a more apt description) over to the counter and gave her a very charming smile. “Certainly, little missy. I like to buy a dozen of your best red roses.” 

“Would you like them in a bouquet?” Aya-chan inquired as she walked over to the vases containing roses.

“Yes. It’s for me and my lover’s anniversary.” 

“Congratulations. How long have you been together?” 

“A year. It hadn’t been easy getting to where we are now.” 

“But you love each other, right? That should be all that matter.” 

“Yes, I agree.” The man smiled and pointed to his ear. “That certainly is an odd earring you’re wearing, missy.” 

“This?” Aya-chan reached up to her own ear to finger the gold earring. “It was my sixteenth birthday present from my brother.” 

“Shouldn’t it be a pair?” 

Aya-chan’s smile turned wistful. “I don’t know where the other half is.” 

“You lost it?” 

“No, I never had it.” Aya-chan finished the bouquet and handed it over to the man. “Here you go, sir. That will be twenty dollars.”

“Here,” the man handed her a folded bill. “Keep the change.” 

“Thank you. And please come again.” 

The man smiled broadly at her. “Live well, little missy. Life’s too short.” 

What an odd man, Aya-chan thought. Friendly and nice, but odd. 

Shrugging, she unfolded the bill to place it inside the cash register. Something hard slipped out from between the folds, falling to the countertop with a light metallic ring. 

Aya-chan’s heart skipped a beat. She stared wide-eyed at the single gold earring glinting on the countertop; the tiny engraved words ‘For Aya-chan’ on the metallic surface leapt out to her instantly. 

Involuntarily, her hand flew up to her ear. Her earring was still there. 

Realization dawned upon her in the next heartbeat. Snatching up the earring, she dashed out from the behind the counter. “Sir! Chotto matte!” 

Aya-chan burst out of the shop, staring wildly in all directions, searching for the outlandishly dressed man. He was nowhere to be found. The street was empty and the few passer-bys on the pavement did not resemble the man she was looking for. 

It was as though he had disappeared into thin air.

________________________________________

**Chapter Thirty**

In a remote mountainous region far from Aya-chan, a deer suddenly looked up from grazing among the trees. It stood motionlessly, ears pricked and eyes watching intently as a man dressed outlandishly shimmered into existence within the forest. 

His arms full of packages and a bouquet of red roses, the man turned to the deer and smiled. “Hello to you too, neighbor.” 

The deer relaxed, sensing no immediate danger, and went back to its grazing. 

With silent stealthy grace, the man picked his way through the thick forest. His steps were sure and he followed an unseen trail only he knew. Curiously enough, he did not disturb any foliage in his passing. 

As he walked on, his appearance changed as he took off the glamour spell. His brown clothes melted away, revealing a sleeveless tank top, jeans and duster. The short-cropped blond hair became honey-blond tresses that covered half of his face. The ever-present shades rested on the bridge of his nose despite the evening sun. 

Yohji looked forward to going home. 

They had come to this place eight months ago, determined to stay out of the world. Neither of them had any interest in the affairs of the world nor was they keen on being found. All they wanted was a little quiet corner of their own, where they could love freely and without care. 

Up here, remote and inaccessible, they had found the perfect spot. The flow of wild magic was strong here obscuring any traces of spell-casting Yohji did to establish their sanctuary. 

He built a log cabin, wove several intricate spells about the grounds to keep out unwanted visitors. Anyone who accidentally came close would simply walk past unaware. Thos who came looking for him would be subtly diverted away. If that was not enough, intruder wards, defensive spells and a kekkai formed the rest of his defenses. 

In the past, it would be impossible for him to weave and set such complicated and powerful permanent spells in a single area. But now power was no longer an issue. 

What was more important was that no one could find and disturb their peaceful life. 

Yohji trekked through the forest for some time, a ghost gliding silently past trees and wild animals that regarded him with an odd lack of fear. He seemed to be walking aimlessly but in actual fact he tread an unseen path that would lead him home. By the time the trees began to thin, night had fallen. It was full moon tonight and by its silvery light, he emerged into a small clearing in the center of his sanctuary, hidden from the air by the kekkai. His log cabin, quite substantial for such a remote area but he considered as barely adequate, sat in the clearing. A lamp burned fitfully on a windowsill, beckoning him home with its homely glow. 

Yohji walked up the trodden path; the front door swung open by itself to admit him into the cabin. 

Inside the log cabin was cozy. The living room had a fireplace and behind the dividing screen was the bedroom. The kitchen and massive storeroom took up the rest of the cabin, and the outhouse was just a few feet away. The log cabin was simply furnished and neatly kept, unlike his bedroom at the Koneko no Sumu Ie. Most of the items were utilitarian in nature, except for the king-size bed covered with furs and woolen blankets. The luxurious, almost decadent bed was the only indulgence Yohji refused to give up. 

Yohji quickly put away the supplies. Then taking the bouquet of roses, he exited the log cabin again and made his way to the hot spring. 

The hot spring was a bonus find. It was close to the log cabin and it quickly became his second favorite indulgence. 

Yohji stopped at the bank of the hot spring, verdant green eyes softening with love as he gazed upon the vision he would never get tired of. 

Ran stood in the hot spring pool, back to Yohji and head tilted back as he gazed up at the full moon. The hot spring water lapped at his hips, offering a tantalizing glimpse of the curves of his butt and a hint of the crevice that led down to heaven. Sleek limbs and alabaster skin, covered with a light sheen of moisture, shone palely under the moonlight. The ruby redness of his hair was leached to a luminescent pink. Bathed in the moonlight, he was achingly beautiful, surreal and fey, like a faraway vision that seemed just out of Yohji’s reach. 

At times like this, Yohji could scarcely believe that he was real. It seemed too much like a dream; he was afraid that Ran would just disappear if he even blinked. But he would hear the silent murmur that passed for communication between them in his head, felt the tugging of the bond that bound him for life to the beautiful Gem, and was assured that this was real. 

That, on this night, a year ago, he did made the most desperate and risky gamble of his life and won. 

He had threw himself into the fires of wild magic, bent it to his will, and re-Forged the dying Blood Diamond into a new Gem bound to him. He hadn’t known if it would work; he just knew he couldn’t live without his beloved Ran by his side. 

How long he spent re-Forging the Blood Diamond, he did not know. Only that, when he finally finished, he was totally spent and hurting too badly to pay much attention to his surrounding. He remembered vaguely that Takatori’s island was completely engulfed in the out-of-control fires of wild magic, burning to the ground. He hazily recalled realizing that there was no escape for them, that they were surrounded on all sides by the fires. That it was Ran, who despite his own pain, gathered him up and transported them away Gem-style. 

That was when he blacked out. 

And when he came to again, he found himself lying in bed in the safe house close to Southbank Park, wrapped in bandages and in a fiery world of agony. 

Ran stayed by his side, anxious and worried as he carefully healed his lover’s burns and cared for him in those feverish days. 

Yohji hadn’t been able to make contact with Weiss, delirious and too much in pain to think properly and struggling to get used to the bond and the new power that filled him. A week passed by before the fever broke and he could finally process the ramifications of his actions. 

He had become Gem-Stealer, the first Techno-Mage to accomplish not only the impossible but also the unimaginable. Yohji didn’t understand how he managed to succeed but the fact remained that he did. 

For two weeks, neither of them left the safe house. They were new to this strange situation, afraid and apprehensive, yet at the same time giddy with joy and happiness. They needed time to get used and explore the new dimensions to their relationship before they contact Yohji’s friends. 

But before they could do so, the rumors broke out. Neither of them wished to confirm the rumors; they were unwilling to have their happiness threatened by people’s greed and concern. So they did the only thing they could. 

They left Magnopolis and went into hiding. 

Since Yohji had been legally dead for years and the Blood Diamond’s true identity was never discovered, they had little worry about being tracked. 

Yet concerned about the Gem’s curse, and not knowing how severe it would be in their case, they decided to retreat into isolation where they could stay out the business of the world and no one could find them. 

So far their plan worked. 

And Yohji intended to keep it that way. 

He carefully placed the bouquet of roses on the bank and stripped off his clothes, leaving them carelessly discarded in a heap. He slid into the hot spring water, letting out a sigh of relief as the warmth penetrated his body and eased the ache in his body. Wading through the water, he crept up behind Ran and captured the redhead in his embrace. His arms curled about the narrow waist and chest, pulling the smaller man close. 

“Tadaima,” he greeted softly next to a pale ear. 

“Okaeri.” Ran leaned back in his embrace, head resting against his lover’s shoulder as he hugged the arms embracing him. “You’ve been gone for three days. I missed you.” 

“Sorry. I tried to be quick about it.” Yohji kissed the damp skin behind his ear. “I missed you terribly.” 

“So did you find them?” 

“Yeah, finally. They’re back in your homeland, running a new flower shop there. They are taking very good care of your sister.” 

Ran turned around, amethyst eyes peering eagerly up at his lover. “How is Aya? Did you give it to her?” 

Yohji bent his head and rested his forehead against Ran’s. “Come take a look.” 

Ran closed his eyes, peering mentally into Yohji’s memories. His full lips curved into a smile. “She looks wonderful,” he remarked. “Radiant. I’m glad she’s getting on so well. It made everything all right again, even though I can never see her again.” 

Yohji kissed his lover’s forehead. “Ran, I think she loves you enough to accept it.” 

“Perhaps but I won’t risk it. What I did for Takatori...I promised myself I would never let her know. I don’t want her to view her brother with shame and guilt. Knowing she is awake and leading her own life now...it is enough.” 

“Stubborn Gem,” Yohji muttered. He softened his rebuke with a tender kiss. “So self-sacrificing. It’s why I love you so much.” 

Ran arched a brow. “Just for one reason only?” 

“Hell no,” Yohji grinned. He made a quick gesture and called the bouquet of red roses to his hand. He presented it to Ran. “Happy anniversary.” 

Ran took the roses, amethyst eyes glowing with joy and contentment as he brought the bouquet to his nose and inhaled the sweet fragrance. “They’re beautiful.” 

“Red roses remind me of you somehow. Beauty with an edge, just like you.” 

“Hn.” Ran lifted his arms and wrapped them around Yohji’s neck. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He reached up on tiptoes and kissed his lover deeply. “Happy anniversary to you too,” he purred against the cherished lips. 

Yohji smiled tenderly at him, caressing a pale cheek with the back of his fingers. 

Ran cocked his head imperceptibly, sensing something amiss with his lover. “What’s troubling you?” 

“Did you ever blame me?” Yohji asked pensively. “For re-Forging you without your permission?” 

Ran blinked. “Why do you ask?” 

“Because I broke my promise to you. I didn’t set you free. I wasn’t selfless enough. Instead I bound you to me because I couldn’t bear to live without you. I made you several promises but I didn’t seem to be able to keep a single one of them.” 

Ran smiled then. “Silly Yohji. Do you think you would have succeeded in the re-Forging if I hadn’t been willing?” He cupped his lover’s face. “I didn’t want to leave you. I sought freedom from Takatori, not from you.” 

“Demo-” 

“I was more than willing to be bonded to you. For all our talks and promises, I just can’t bring myself to leave you behind. And besides, we have paid enough for our happiness, don’t you think?” 

Carefully, Ran brushed aside the fall of hair to reveal the ruined side of Yohji’s face. Pale slender fingers lightly caressed the massive burn scars. The beautiful verdant green orb stood out from the burned side of Yohj’s face, gazing steadily at him, bright with love and emotions running high. 

Ran’s pale fingers traced the thickened tissue that ran down Yohji’s neck, covered nearly half of his chest and arm, and down to his pelvis. His back was similarly scarred as well. Despite his ability, Ran could not completely heal the burns. The burn scars would remain and they would always ache, a reminder to Yohji of his action. 

But Ran hardly saw the scars. In his eyes, Yohji was still the most gorgeous person he had ever seen. He lifted calm amethyst eyes to meet Yohji’s green gaze. “You’re stuck with me now, Yohji Kudoh. And there’s nowhere else I would rather be.” 

“Ran...” Too overcome with emotions, Yohji gathered him into a tight embrace, kissing him fiercely.

“God, I love you so much.” he whispered. “Let’s stay together always.” 

Yohji gestured again, a small velvet box materializing in his hand. Nervously, he presented the box to Ran. 

“Open it,” he coaxed. 

Yohji wet his dry lips as Ran slowly opened the box and stared at the pair of gold rings nestled within. They were simple plain gold bands, masculine and identical in design. The meaning they held was all too clear to Ran.

“I want you to be my mate,” Yohji said. “I don’t want to be your master but as your partner and your lover. That is...if you would accept me?” 

Yohji watched nervously as Ran calmly took out one of the rings and slipped it onto his fourth finger. It was a perfect fit. Then he took the other ring, negligently tossed the box away and slid the ring onto Yohji’s finger. 

He clasped Yohji’s adorned finger with his own and raised it, a tiny smirk on his lips, amethyst eyes sparkling. “Hai.” 

A wave of relief broke over Yohji. He shouldn’t have doubt Ran wouldn’t accept his proposal. It was silly to think like that but Yohji couldn’t help himself. Proposing marriage was always a nerve-racking business. 

Letting out a whoop of laughter that echoed through the trees, Yohji scooped Ran up and hoisted him high. He swung his lover about, heedless of the water splashing around them or the dangerous shift of stones under his feet. 

“Aishiteru! Honto ni, aishiteru!” 

Ran tried unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter. It spilled forth in a rich baritone flow that complemented with Yohji’s laughter, as he held onto Yohji’s shoulders for dear life. “I love you too, Yohji, very much. But put me down before you drown us!” 

Yohji did as he was told, grinning broadly as he hugged his lover, now mate, close. He couldn’t let him go; he would never be able to let him go. 

“Beautiful Ran, whatever consequences fates deliver to me, I’ll accept it because you’re all I ever wanted. Just you, never your power.” 

“I can only pray your retribution will be kind on you.” Ran reached up and stroked his cheek. “And I’ll be by your side till the end.” 

Arms entwining, they shared a long sweet kiss, treasuring every moment of it, like they would for the rest of their days. 

It didn’t matter what the world thought of them. It didn’t matter that they called Yohji Gem-Stealer, or the whole world hated Ran for the Gem’s curse that brought about the Dark Recession. 

Neither did it matter that their love was forbidden, and the world might condemn them if it knew. Nor did it matter that greedy unscrupulous people sought to destroy their happiness to steal the Gem’s power for their ambitious desires. 

None of it matters anymore. 

They were together at long last, after so much pain and hardships. 

And they were happy. 

It might be fleeting, their happiness. And in the end, it might bring upon them a terrible retribution in payment for their love and happiness. 

But that was all right. 

Whatever happened, they would face it and accept it. 

They loved each other and it was more than enough. 

________________________________________  
 **End of Book Two**

**The End**


	8. Reviews

From Fanfiction.Net:

16\. BengalCat chapter 1 . Jan 24, 2004  
hey! you're mean, using the episodes! I only know the manga! but I'll go on reading!  
the idea of Ken being a crossbreed is an interesting one... and what was that thing with Aya? confusion...

 

From Mediaminer:

15. Reviewed By: phoinos  On: October 06, 2004 04:14 CDT  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 10 of 10  
Spelling & Grammar: 8 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
I remember reading part of this fic when it was posted on FF.net. I was impressed with it, but then it disappeared! You can't possibly imagine how excited I was to find it again. I've been sitting here for the last four hours straight, reading it. I'm not a huge fan of AU fics, but this one might just convert me. Excellent, excellent, excellent. I liked the way you related the AU events with actual events from the anime, subtly twisting different elements and tweaking to make things fit just right. I also love how you've been careful to create backgrounds behind each character and behind the AU world itself. It gives things a very grounded feeling rather than throwing the audience right into the story. The actions of each character are very realistic. In fact, the only complaint I have is some of the grammar and spelling used. Be careful to watch for tenses; sometimes you've used past tenses where present tenses should be, and vice versa. Otherwise, this is one of the most entertaining stories I've read in ages. It was so angsty it was almost painful (in a good way); the "Fall" chapters were downright heartbreaking. Thankfully things end happily. And Aya and Yohji's awareness that there might be consequences and their inability to return to see their friends and sister is a great bittersweet touch. Words cannot express how much I enjoyed this fic, so I'd better stop rambling now before I run out of room. 

14. Reviewed By: purkle dragon goddess [MediaMiner Member]  On: September 25, 2004 15:57 CDT  
Rating(s):  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
What an absolutely orginal story! Very well written and told. Love how you wove the story around actual story plots form the series. 

13. Reviewed By: Bloodrose 'Valentine' Foxxstar  On: September 25, 2004 07:25 CDT  
Rating(s):  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
I have to be honest with you.. having read a couple of your shorter fics and liking it, I only started reading this fic out of boredom. I thought I'd read a chapter or two and forget about it. But.. I kept reading and reading... I've just finished reading all 30 chapters in one sitting. I only have one word to say about this fic. BEAUTIFUL! Heheh, I loved it.. so sweet and then sad and the funny then sad then depressing then sweet.. argh it was a rollercoaster and I loved it! It's hard to find such a well written fic these days, I bow to your greatness! 

12. Reviewed By: Ita-chan  On: December 09, 2002 23:42 CST  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 10 of 10  
Spelling & Grammar: 9 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
YYYYYYYOOOOOSSSHHHHHHHHH,.....FFFFIINNNAALYYYYYYYY  
it's FFIINISHHHHHH,....*jumping up happily and gave andro-sama some pokky*...^_~...  
YOUUUU andro-sama are one HEELLLL of a VEERYYYYYYY AAMAAAAZZINGGGGG fanfic writer,...  
*bows down*....i REEAALLYYYYY LOOVEEEE the ending part of this great fic,....actualy,...i LOVEEE all chapter of your Hope Saga series,....EEVEENNN those nasty chapter that nearly drives me nuts reading about them,...[takatori bein a BIG bastard towards aya/ran,etc,etc..]....and almost makes me stop reading this great fic of yours,...because i can't bear reading all those angsty and horrible things that evil bastard done to aya/ran,...*stomp and punch takatori plush-doll*.....AAAAAAnnyyyWWWaaaayyyyy,....AAAhheemm,....gomen-ne for my long rant there,...*rubs head sheppishly*....i kinda get carried away,....all in all,...a VVERRRYYYYYYY SSWEEEETTT ending and LOOOVEEEEEE it to heart,...*grins*....even if it's got a touch of angst in the ending part,...i still LOOOOVEEEEE it,...and i know lots of yer-fans love it too,....*wink*....i know it's kinda too much,....but i just would like to ask;...could ya make a sequel???....just asking thats all,...it's ok if ya won't,.....just abit of suggestion thats all,...because i kinda feels sad for aya-chan ya know,...10 years in a coma,...and waking-up without ever knowing what had happen to her dear brother,...i feel she had the right to know,...AAArrgggg,...ignored that,..i'm just rambling nonsense that's all,...  
just keep-on writing great fics kay,...hope ya gona write more Y+A fics cause these two're my fav in WK universe,...till yer-next new fics,...JAAAAAAAAA and GANBATEEEE_NNNEEEEE!!^_~!!

11. Reviewed By: Trinity Bennett [MediaMiner Member]  On: December 08, 2002 17:06 CST  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 10 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
Wow. This story was fantastic. WHen I see something about character death.. I usually stop reading. I can't bear to see Aya or Yohji dying, but your's.. I just couldn't stop reading it.  
I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future.

10. Reviewed By: Hope  On: December 03, 2002 23:39 CST  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 10 of 10  
Spelling & Grammar: 10 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
It was such a wonderful story! I love the ending. I'm so glad to see Youji and Ran could live happily in the end with each other!! Kudos on such a wonderful story.

9. Reviewed By: Enna Namo  On: December 03, 2002 13:55 CST  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 10 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
You know, I should be very angry with you. Updating without telling me???? What did you think???? And with such a beautifull happy end. Sob, sob, sob, sniff, wahaaaahaaaaa. Sniff. It makes my cry. sniff. wahaaaaaaa. got to cry a little more. I'm such a helpless romantic. 

Is there a book three coming? Will Youji and Aya ever leave there little hideout? What if something happens to Omi and Ken? What if something happens to Aya? Even so they no longer work for Kritiker, there is still Schwarz. Wouldn't that be an opertunity to start a new book????

8. Reviewed By: babaca [MediaMiner Member]  On: December 03, 2002 13:44 CST  
Comment/Review:  
This was great. Damn if I didn't get teary-eyed towards the end. I'll miss this story too. Thanks for posting (and most importantly) completing this fic!

7. Reviewed By: Stoffelchan  On: December 03, 2002 11:31 CST  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 10 of 10  
Spelling & Grammar: 9 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
This is one of the best Aya Yoji stories that I've ever read. It's great and I absolutely admire the work and imagination you put into it.  
This story is touching, exciting and original.  
One will never ever forget reading this and I will always have a smile on my lips when thinking about it. Thank you for sharing it!

6. Reviewed By: Maryvel  On: December 06, 2002 14:41 CST  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 10 of 10  
Spelling & Grammar: 9 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
Wow... this was just... WOW!  
Took me nearly two days to read the whole thing and I loved every second of it. The way everything fit together. How you wove some of the episodes missions in was simply perfect. Reading this was an absolute pleasure :o)  
And by chapter 20 you had me reduced to begging: "Please don't kill them, please please please!" I'm sooo glad you let them survive. Great ending, great story. I'm looking forward to more from you.

5. Reviewed By: Forsaken [MediaMiner Member]  On: December 06, 2002 18:44 CST  
Rating(s):  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
This was an excellent ending to a fantastic tale. I was simply amazed by it. I hope to see more of your work in the future.

4. Reviewed By: Enna Namo [MediaMiner Member]  On: September 29, 2002 05:59 CDT  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 10 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
There will be a problem to be solved. If I understood you right, a Gem can't survive its masters death. And killing Takatori thus would kill Aya as well. Or has Takatori to free him, to creat another gem? And by the way, because of the conection between master and gem, Takatori must know that Aya is still alive. Args.  
Can't wait for the next chapter. Hurry.

3. Reviewed By: ladyjayne  On: September 28, 2002 22:10 CDT  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 5 of 10  
Spelling & Grammar: 5 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 10 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
just wanted to thank you for the wonderful story...i love au fics. this is such a unique idea...i just love aya as the gem...perfect.

2. Reviewed By: Sweetgrass  On: September 26, 2002 16:06 CDT  
Rating(s):  
Style of Writing: 8 of 10  
Spelling & Grammar: 8 of 10  
Originality/Creativity: 9 of 10  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Overall Rating: 9 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
I really enjoyed this story. I loved the idea of gems, cursed beings doomed. However, I do have some questions. Aya's disguise isn't that different from Blood Diamonds, why didn't Yohji catch on earlier? Will the reason Aya-chan hasn't aged come to light? And just out of curosity what happened to Jun's sister? Did Aya ever go and visit her again. I'm looking forward to the next book.

1. Reviewed By: Jacque Koh [MediaMiner Member]  On: September 26, 2002 10:35 CDT  
Rating(s):  
Enjoyment Factor: 10 of 10  
Comment/Review:  
Great to see that you'll have this series up here. I really enjoy this story arc and the neat twists you've made of the original storyline for this AU.

Cheers,  
Jacque


End file.
